*Taehyung's POV*

"It itches."
For all my whining was worth, I was only met with a harder tug that makes me wince in pain.
"Remind me again why I have to do this?"
"Because you're Aamon, Mama," Jungkook answers, in the exact same tone and look that he knew annoy me. 
Both he and Jin stay by my side because they'd self declared themselves my bodyguards and no matter how much I'd screamed, it seemed they were adamant to stick to the sole of my foot like gum. 
And also due to circumstances I could yet even understand, I was now Aamon, Guardian of the Forty Legions of Heaven and Hell, Seer of the Past and Future, after the previous one had inconveniently been murdered.
Fate seemed to find it hilarious to mess with me.
Jin runs the fine toothed comb through my hair again, pulling the hair off my face hard enough that it felt like getting a free facelift.
"Ow," I growl, because this was *no* fun.
"If you didn't have so many snarls in your hair, I wouldn't have to do this," he humorlessly murmurs.
"Well excuse me for not having the time to groom myself. Running for your life tends to undermine that."
Another hard, painful tug, though this has nothing to do with styling my hair. I don't know why he did that. It would've been more merciful to simply smack me against the side of my head, which the damned Djinn always seemed to love doing.
I stare myself in the mirror.
My hair, which had been coloured its standard auburn recently, had been purposefully grown past shoulder length for today's ceremony. I never had that much to work with, so a friend had placed some sort of enchantment on it to make it grow longer and thicker.
Of course, it had somehow backfired and hair had started growing alarmingly fast in places I could never imagine hair growing.
I'd had to *freaking wax* a full Brazilian, because when you can call on the fires of Hell with a frustrated scowl, flammable material was not something you'd appreciate.
The relentless tugging and pulling finally stops, and my hair falls to rest around my face. I reminded myself of Samara, that damned ghost from the Ring, with my gaunt cheeks, horrid panda eyes and pale skin. I really needed a tan. And perhaps seventy two full hours of sleep. And a way to escape today's ceremony.
But that wasn't going to happen, because the damned thing was for me, a formal coronation in lieu of my recognition of Aamon. It's almost strange to sit here and look forward to it. A week ago, half the magical community was out to kill me, and the other half was seeking to exploit my powers. And today, they were all invited to see me officially take my throne.
It was almost like I was challenging them to take my head off. And that also explained why security had been tripled. There was a guard for every two guests, and that totalled to a staggering fifteen hundred. So with a total of four and a half thousand people in attendance, it is really challenging for me to not make a fool of myself.
And with my luck, that was basically impossible.
I sigh, blowing up a tuft of hair as Jin reaches for the scissors.
His graceful fingers work quickly and quietly, running through my hair and snipping it off here and there. It had been decided by the committee that bangs looked better on me than side sweeped hair, and I couldn't really argue. I looked ten with bangs, but I looked like a second grader without them.
"How come you're so good with scissors?" I ask. Dead silence was something Jin was used to, Jungkook accustomed to, but it drove me mad. Which basically explained why everyone called me a motor mouth.
"I'm very old," he curtly answers, the standard reply he gives me when he doesn't want to talk much about it. He's never told me exactly how old though. I expect him to drop the conversation at that, but he continues. "And I learn by watching."
"Our hairstylist noonas?" Jungkook prompts.
Jin makes a sound between a grunt and a humorless laugh. "There is hardly a person on Earth older than I am." Another hint at how old he was. I frown. The oldest vampire in known existence was born around the time of the Abbasyd Caliphate period. That would make Jin a thousand years old, at least.
"Because you're the Archangel Azazel?"
"My name is not Azazel," Jin smoothly steps over Jungkook's question, as a short tuft of hair - probably my new bangs - falls over my eyes. But from the mirror, I see him tense slightly, his hold on my hair tightening fractionally.
If he really was Azazel, *that* Azazel which legend, lore and biblical texts spoke so much of, then of course the attention on his head would've been staggering. It would've defeated his whole agenda of staying under the radar - destroy it in entirety. Not to mention that attention on this Earth basically meant a bounty on your head, though I'm not sure how anyone could kill a being as powerful as him.
Jungkook tilts his head slightly. He may be a child, but he wasn't stupid.
"Of course not," he says. "You're Jin. You've always been Jin to me. It doesn't matter what your real name is."
Jin doesn't say anything, nothing on his face changes, nothing softens in his eyes, but he does reach behind him to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Jungkook's ear. A quiet thanks, I suppose.
And Jungkook grins, evidently satisfied with the small display of affection, before returning to his stack of papers. 
The stack of security papers.
It was the thickness of a modern dictionary, and contained every layout of the house, name, background and picture of every guest and guard, schedule of events as well as guard duty. It even had a list of food to be served, their ingredients, their caterers and their risk of danger. To me.
It was embarrassing.
Only Jungkook, Jin, and Hector would be allowed to look at the stack, and even then, they shared a copy between them, to be burnt and destroyed an hour before the coronation starts.
Which wasn't that long away.
I chew nervously at my lower lip.
Jin is about satisfied with the state of my new bangs, moving to my long locks. He starts combing through it again, oiling and spraying it from time to time before he collects the whole of the thing and holds it in a ponytail.
Long ago, long hair was a sign of utmost nobility, as only the royals and those of equal wealth to them could afford to upkeep such length. The fad had died long ago amongst humans, but stuck a bit amongst some of the supernatural community. And such would be expected of Aamons too. No Aamon had kept hair shorter than over their shoulders.
Of course, I had all plans to abolish such a stupid tradition, but I had to respect the ceremony. Maybe I'd dramatically chop the locks off later into my rule.
It'd probably be front page news too.
He takes the claw-like hair clip from its reverent place on the velvet pillows on my dressing table. It was made of dull silver, fixed with five different coloured diamonds and stones and designed in the insignia of my court. It looked like a really intricate rose from afar, with the way the jeweller had sculpted the insignia to look almost 3D. 
And Jin clips it in place, fastening it against my ponytail and then twisting the hanging locks into a messy bun which he winds around the clip. I stare myself in the mirror.
Well, I didn't look too bad now, with the hair out the way. Jin had actually been pretty skillful with the bangs.
He takes the cape off me, and I instinctively start brushing at my neck, in case there were any stray hairs he'd missed.
"Jungkook," Jin calls, without even looking up. "Come."
I hop off the chair, happy to get my feet moving at last.
With my hair, makeup and clothes done, the only thing I needed to do was sit and worry. So naturally, I head out towards the living room.
My suite, for once, is empty. Two bodyguards are out by the balcony having a smoke, but everyone else is out. 
They'd all been needed for the ceremony, where some of the biggest names in history and politics had gathered. 
The coronation of the Aamon was usually a small scale affair, but after the power had unceremoniously dropped its load on me - the first initiate in history who had not in any way been trained by the Parliament of my Court, who had been raised amongst Hunters in one of the most powerful Courts of their kind, and mingled amongst humans like one - everyone had their eyes on the little untrained boyband member to see who could get him under their thumb first.
I sit myself on the sofa, curling against the cushions.
I mentally count through three thousand names in my head, going through each guest in case I'd miss one. I revise a few dances I'll be expected to lead. I set up a mental image of the venue in my head, remembering all the emergency exits Jin had pointed out, how to run through them, how to jump through portals, how to kill each kind in case any attacked…
I shudder at that. Hopefully no scene would pop up that would deem that necessary. I could count with my right hand the number of people I've killed, and that had already felt like more than enough. I was no killer.
I was Aamon. I took care of souls, not snatch them away from their bodies.
And I was exhausted. The days leading up to the coronation had been mercilessly busy and despite how I'd protested against a ceremony, I knew the public would need one.
They'd want to at least see for themselves who the next Aamon would be. They'd want to at least quell their worries.
Unfortunately, I couldn't even quell mine, and *I* was Aamon. I didn't even know if I could do this. I've been unofficial Aamon for two months now and the only thing I've done so far is scream myself into survival.
I'd gone from an idol they glanced at in passing, to a lunatic heir initiate they rolled their eyes at, to a full blown danger to their societies. The possibility of me destroying the Earth by accident had gone from a possibility, to a probability, to a surety that even I myself couldn't deny.
I'd lost control of my powers all of once and that had been enough to destroy the whole Court of the Victor, leader to the Hunters. I'd called on my powers in defense thrice, and those instances had been enough to kill beings that were basically unkillable in the first place. I'd called fires straight from *Hell* and I'd thrown a tantrum basically because they wouldn't let me see my bodyguard.
So yeah, I was turning out to be a great Aamon.
I sigh, closing my eyes as I curl deeper against the cushions. Maybe I should just take a nap. It felt like I needed one.
That is, until I felt a pull against my ankle.
I jolt awake in angry panic, sitting up as I mentally call on my power. If I was gonna hurt a , I was gonna hurt them bad.
And then I blink blankly, staring down at the thing hanging near my feet.
A little girl in pigtails, wearing a pale nightgown as she clutches a teddy bear against her chest. I don't wonder where she came from, because she was translucent.
And by translucent, I mean I could see the Renaissance painting through her, hanging behind her.
I blink again. Surely, I lacked some caffeine.
But no, she was still there, looking as real and as solid as…
As well, a spirit.
Another job of the Aamon, other than being the Ruler of the Forty Legions of Heaven and Hell and Seer of the Past and Future, was that I was Guardian of Lost Spirits. That means any wandering souls on Earth, I was expected to guide back to wherever it is that they were supposed to go.
And the little girl was the loudest example of a wandering spirit I'd ever seen.
She suddenly turns to the two bodyguards at the balcony, pointing at them, before she turns back to me, a finger against her lips as she grins. Well, it didn't matter if she screamed the house down anyway. The only persons able to see her would be me and some powerful clairvoyants, which currently in the vicinity were numbered at nil.
But I muse her.
One, because who knew where she'd wander off to if I scared her. Two, because if I wanted to guide her to the Afterlife, I'd have to have a physical hold on her. Three, because the stench of Death on her was old, fading. That meant she'd died maybe a few years ago. And if someone used to roaming the Earth as a spirit was seeking me out, that could only mean she brought a warning, whether she was aware of it or not.
I place a finger on my own pair of lips, as her grin widens. 
"Shh!" She says.
"Shh!" I copy, immediately grabbing the attention of the guards. 
She beckons me forward, and I exaggeratedly creep towards her. I see the guards from my peripheral vision actually debate whether it would be worth it to check on me. I don't hear what they're saying exactly, but judging from their wary postures and disapproving faces, they'd probably assumed I was playing another bat crazy game, and were ready to grab me if I suddenly had the urge to jump out the window. I ignore them, creeping closer towards the girl ghost until we are practically nose to nose.
"I have something to tell you," she whispers, so low that I barely hear her.
"What is it?"
"You have to catch me first!" She suddenly shrieks in glee, running straight *through* me, through the cushions, sofa and the lamp, to disappear into the room I'd just left. I swear under my breath.
It didn't matter how long she'd died or what her real age was. Ghosts that die are stuck in that state in indefinite limbo. If she died a child, her mind would stay a child's. No matter the years that went by. Or how frustrating it was for someone like me.
I groan, ignoring the guards as I quickly follow.
I head to my room, standing with one hand against the doorway as I scan the surroundings.
Jungkook is still being worked on, though it looked like Jin was finishing. Unlike me, neither of them had had to grow their damn hair out.
Jungkook turns to me. Jin has given him a side parting, styling his hair in a coif that has his bangs off his eyes, and his hair is back to black. It looked good on him.
"Taehyung?"
There, I realise, seeing the little toes peeking out from under the bed, before they disappear straight through. I dive, wriggling under the bed. There is only complete darkness beneath, until my eyes adjust. I army-crawl forward maybe a foot, before I look up to see her grinning ear to ear at me in the darkness. I nearly scream because *damn* those teeth really shone.
I reach out a hand instead, intending to grab a hold of her wrist, before she scurries back, laughing.
"Can't catch me!"
"I'm not really in the mood to play games," I huff, pushing through to the other side of the bed. I push the quilt blocking my exit out the way, popping out dusty and slightly disoriented from the sudden light.
The ghost is looking slightly solid now, alight from the excitement of the game of tag she assumed we were playing.
"Can't catch me, can't catch me!" She giggles, speed crawling across the floor.
I swear under my breath, seeing both Jin and Jungkook turn to me.
"Taehyung?"
"You're dusty," Jin uselessly points out, a frown loud on his face.
"I'll clean myself up soon. Just let me -"
I leave my sentence hanging, as the little girl dives below the study table and I follow, somehow forgetting that I was fully solid. I bang my forehead against the heavy wood hard enough that I bounce back. 
"Taehyung." That was Jin this time. And his voice held the warning.
"Mama, *what* are you doing?" Jungkook sounded perplexed now.
"Stop playing games!" I plead, just as the little girl gets up and runs. Straight towards Jin and Jungkook. "I don't have the time!"
"I should be saying that to you," Jin glares, watching my speed crawl towards the girl, also towards him as well.
"Elizabeth," Ghost girl suddenly says, pausing to turn back to me, the excited grin still there. "My name."
"Okay," I huff.
"What?" Both Jin and Jungkook say.
"Elizabeth," I curtly explain.
"Huh?"
But cheeky, annoying Ghost girl is between them, wrapping her arms around Jin as she peers at me, still giggling.
I crawl faster, reaching a hand out towards her, when she suddenly steps back and melts into Jungkook.
And I have my hand right on Jin's .
"Taehyung…"
Elizabeth is fully chortling this time, hard enough that she falls over, right out of Jungkook.
And I lunge forward, calling my power just enough to be able to wrap my fingers securely around her forearm.
And then I feel the massive pull.
Oh **.
Another vision.
I close my eyes as I feel the ground give way below me. Keeping them closed helped with the vertigo, the feeling of having your feet ripped of the ground, the sensation of yourself being thrown through the fragments of space and time, and the jarring landing you always make upon impact.
I open my eyes, ignoring the familiar ache of my way too abused body as I push myself off the ground. 
And immediately throw myself down again, as a burst of wild power shoots overhead. As most visions go, this had to be the most surreal.
I was here, right at the venue. Of the coronation.
Something drops in the pit of my stomach. It might have been what little sanity I had left, because I was *not* seeing what I was seeing.
Carnage is the word I would use, but that somehow still felt like an understatement. 
The smell of blood is *everywhere*. Bodies - mangled, torn and dead faces frozen in fear - decorate the landscape. Forty five hundred people had been in attendance at the ceremony. It looked like that number held true. The sea of bodies was massive.
I somehow belatedly notice the screaming, and look up into the distance. People were still fighting. Some were running, some cursing and screaming and some attacking back.
But everyone was frightened. The stench of fear is something you learn to detect when you were raised like I was.
Vampires, Weres, Mages, Hunters and every other species I could name. Powerful people representing powerful Courts. Panicked. Dying. Dead.
What was going on?
I couldn't focus on anything. Vision was strangely hazy, as if the fear itself had manifested into physical form, hanging like some sort of mist around everything.
Something *else* drops in the pit of my stomach, as I realise with frightening certainty what the haze was. 
Souls. So huge in number and so sudden that the aura and energy they gave off overlapped, coagulating together like some sort of mutated organism.
I have never seen something of that scale, and the sheer sight of it makes the fear I hadn't realised I'd been holding back erupt with a vengeance.
What the actual hell.
This was the future, the prospective future that the Aamon, Seer of the Past and Future, would be responsible to change. 
Technically, it was just a side job. When the future warns of an impending disaster, the Aamon is expected to return to Earth to fix the timeline and prevent said disaster from happening. Sadly for me, the future never shows me a clear enough picture to make me understand how to stop said disaster.
Just like now. I didn't know what was going on, I didn't know who was killing everyone and worst of all, I didn't know what would set off the chain of events. I was only seeing the aftermath, and it scared me enough.
The people who were supposed to gather at my ceremony ruled their own Courts. They commanded their kind like I was supposed to command souls. The power they held, they'd held for centuries. Just what was it that could kill so many of them so ruthlessly, so efficiently?
I run forward, against the flow of those running. Bodies run through me. No one gives me a second glance. Being in a vision was a lot like watching TV. You become a mere bystander. No matter what you do, you cannot change a future that has yet to happen, unless you change your present.
It was the rule of the timeline, a rule protected so vehemently by Fate that not even Gods could defy.
I continue running. The screams are a frightening cruscendo now. Random bodyguards shout orders here and there. It's pretty easy to spot the Heads. They were the ones cowering, surrounded by their kind, busy trying to get out of this alive. 
Very little could scare the Heads of Courts. A plus point, I suppose, but the downside was that when something *did* scare you, it would be one heck of a powerful being. By logic, they should be running from danger. If I could just retrace their steps, they should lead me to -
I freeze in step, literally halting so suddenly that I teeter forward and nearly fall over. 
There was no way. No way that I was seeing what I saw right now.
And then I feel the pull that quickly builds into a violent shove, and I am ripped back.
And brought back to the present.
I scream, scampering back as a wild burst of power leaves me from the moment's lack of control. It hits the three of us, and throws me back hard enough that I am literally flying before I crash into the back of the couch. There is not even time to think of pain, as Jin is already by my side, strong arms against my shoulders as he shakes me.
"What is it?" His voice is rushed, his eyes bright with worry. "What's wrong? What happened?"
I unwittingly flinch away from his touch, eyes darting around the room. Jungkook was unfortunately thrown straight into the dressing table mirror, which had in turn gone right through the wall it was leaning against, showing me a pretty unwanted view of the kitchen.
Elizabeth is gone. I guess she'd done her purpose. The message had been sent. I was hella confused and wary, but at least I'd received it. Something was about to happen in about three hours, something big. And I had to stop it. Again.
"Taehyung!"
Amazingly, the clip against my hair had stayed in place, though a lock of hair had unraveled from the knot, and I felt it tickle the small of my back.
Jin shakes me once more, hard enough to jolt me to attention.
"A vision." I sounded breathless. Clearly, I was in shock.
"What was it about?" Out of the corner of the eye, I see Jungkook emerge from the newly created hole in the wall. Debris is clinging to his suit, but he lightly brushes it off, as if being thrown through walls was something he does daily.
"I don't know."
"Taehyung, if it was a vision of the future -"
"I'll have to change it, I know." I still could barely wrap my head around it. That vision wasn't like ones I've previously experienced. It was stronger, clearer. There was obvious emergency behind it.
And no surprise too, considering who was behind the attack.
Jin's hands have fallen from my shoulders. He is still looking at me with that part worried, part pissed, part confused face of his. At least he's stopped shaking me.
"What did you see?"
"The coronation." I can't believe I'm still in shock. I bet I've already ruined my suit. My mind is blank, images from the vision replaying in my head like a broken recorder. The bodies, the blood, the stark terror.
"Was it a good thing?"
I shake my head. Come on. I was Kim Taehyung. I was freaking *Aamon*. There were no such things remotely close to 'good' when it came to me. The visions were a warning, a foreboding to an upcoming disaster that would be my job to prevent. They always were. There would be no reason for me to see a future if I had no cause to change it.
Jin swears under his breath, but extends a hand as he stands. I graciously accept as he pulls me to my feet. And he doesn't let go.
"Security at the coronation will be intensely systematic. If there is a need to change anything, you have to tell me now."
I mechanically nod. I'd seen where everyone had been running from, saw where they'd tried to head.
"Keep all emergency exits open. All portals fully charged and able to be shut off at my notice."
His hand on mine tightens. A tingle of magic tickles my palm. He was up to something. I wonder if he was reading my mind. I don't know if he could, but knowing the kind of being Jin actually was, that'd be no surprise.
But that was good. That meant he'd be able to see my vision, see what I saw. And maybe he'd be able to prevent it.
"You'll be safe. Don't worry."
"It's not my safety I'm worried for," I breath. And that had been the truth. I would survive the attack. Because I'd be one of the people behind it.
Jin finally lets go of my hand. He is looking at me as he always does when I say something that sounds remotely unselfish.
"The individuals present have more than enough power to protect themselves."
"Not against this."
Something finally dawns in his eyes, as he takes a step back and curtly nods, before disappearing completely. 
As a Djinn - or so he claimed, Jin had the power to transverse place, world and dimension at will. Of course, at this point, I was pretty convinced he wasn't *just* a Djinn, not after Hael, a Servant of Heaven, had come down to Earth and attacked him. Hael had basically impaled Jin with his staff and I'd seen with my own eyes what happened. He'd survived, when Holy weapons were known to obliterate anything they touched.
Also, add that to the fact that Hael had called him Azazel.
*Azazel*, favourite son of Lucifer, highest ranked in Hell and fallen angel. *That* Azazel.
Jin had never acknowledged the name, but he had never outwardly denied it either, which I confess, scared me more than it should.
Jin had also recently sworn allegiance to my Court, much to my own loud disapproval. This proved to complicate a lot of things, if rumors if his origin are proven true. 
An ancient prophecy states that Lucifer's ascension to Earth can only be stopped by the Aamon, and should he fail, then God Himself would descend to intervene. Of course God's descent is not necessarily a good thing. There is a reason He's never done it before. The Earth, for all it's sheer size and glory, cannot take a Being of His power.
His descent would bring down a Doom's Day that would destroy Earth down to its very core, bringing God and Lucifer's showdown to new heights. And the only person able to stop such showdown would be the Aamon, tasked to defeat Lucifer himself once he rises - should he rise, I tell myself.
But I now had his favourite son in my Court, which would ultimately only call me to his attention. And what would old Lucy think once he sees his favourite son fighting against him? I'd only be subject to more ire. Of course, that would be likely only if it so happens that Jin wasn't just trying to do his father's job for him and take over my Court when I wasn't looking. At this point of time, trust was something I could bestow on no one.
I lead a fun life, don't I?
I needed a place to rest my shaky legs, and that ended up to be the floor. I lean against the back of the couch I'd moments ago crashed into. The damned clip in my hair prevented me from leaning my head back, but at least my back was okay.
I lean my head forward instead, resting my forehead against my knees, which I'd brought close to my chest. I needed a moment to breathe.
I don't know what Jin could do to stop it. He'd been part of my vision - a big part. The vision starts reeling in my mind again. I scrunch my eyes closed, willing it away.
I feel Jungkook's warmth next to me. He says nothing, only looping an arm with mine as he leans against my shoulder. I appreciate the silent gesture.
Even behind closed eyes, the images burn bright. 
The final scene flashes before me.
Jin, in true, terrifying form, looming over me. Seraphim surround me. So. Much. Blood. Yet none of it was ours.
We were fighting, Jin and I. I had a Holy weapon in my hand, and I guess Jin's was one taken from his father's Court. Each time our weapons met, the burst of power emitted would be strong enough to knock us back.
But it was only Jin moving.
Because he was trying to stop me. The flames of Hell at my feet were mine, and they were spreading across the landscape. I could finally see what it was that was killing everyone so quickly.
It was me. My flames engulf every being in reach, ripping spirit after spirit from their bodies. The very things that had caused my hazy vision.
I don't know what would set me off, why Jin was in true form, why I was so unstoppable, *why I was killing everyone*. I couldn't stop something I didn't understand.
"Taehyung?"
I straighten, looking up to Jungkook's concerned gaze.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." I offer a small smile. "It's just that the vision was… taxing."
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
Jeon Jungkook. So innocent. So painfully, amazingly innocent.
"No. I'm okay."
"You don't look like you believe it."
"Well, I'm trying to."
And then he gives me a small smile, tilting his head slightly. "I believe you."
There it is again, that blinding innocence.
"Things will be okay."
"Yeah." I my head lightly against his, making him giggle, and he playfully pushes back. "Yeah."

Jin materializes out of nowhere, the hard set of his eyes a welcome presence in the stifling waiting room. He doesn't need to search the room for me, especially since I was the unamused center of attention.
"How's everything?" I ask, flinching away from the hairspray trying to blind me.
He frowns. Knowing him, the seven or so people surrounding me probably unnerved him. I can practically see him calculating whether it'd be worth the explanation to grab me away from them.
I guess he decides that it isn't, as he shrugs, a childish act an offset from the straight rod man I knew him as.
He was trying to act nonchalant, relaxed, but he was ticking. It would be apt, knowing the weight of the coronation would be on my frankly undependable shoulders.
"We've somehow gathered the Heads of the supernatural community under one roof. It's hard to put how things are going into words."
I couldn't say anything at that.
Interspecies strife was a common occurence - Hell, even intraspecie was pretty normal. The magical community tended to believe that only their kind was superior, similar to how racism worked a century ago, except basically everyone argued who was the better White. Also since they were scattered across the globe, each continent had their own Head of Court for each specie, who stood as an equal to another Head from a different continent. 
And all that basically meant that no Court liased with another Court, unless it was of course to cause a hell of an argument in fights for power.
Having them all together for my coronation was a first in history. You had to wonder how quickly everything would go south.
"Ow." A pin had pricked me where a tailor was trying to sew the back of my blazer. I'd unknowingly torn through a lot of seams when I went flying into the back of the couch, and the tailors were trying to frantically salvage the suit in the few minutes left before the ceremony began.
"I apologize, Your Highness." The apology does nothing to appease Jin, who stares with narrowed eyes. He strides forward, and I unwittingly flinch back.
"It was just an accident."
My words fall on deaf ears with Jin, as always, as he grabs the tailor's wrist, jolting him forward.
"Leave," Jin growls. And I suppose the hint of power he gave off was enough to make the tailor, a powerful hunter in his own right, back down. "All of you."
That makes them all hesitate. 
Jin was in what he called a *mood*. Even I, in all my daftness, could tell. His usually cool and calm exterior was starting to slowly crack under the pressure and I had to wonder if he'd physically throw everyone, including the guards standing around the vicinity of the room, out. I'd seen him do it before. Multiple times in fact.
And then he lets out a ripple of power. 
It hurts no one. It was simple aura, meant to be harmless, but with multiple warnings of the layers of power Jin had dormant in him. The ripple passes through me, and its residue was enough to cast uncomfortable bristles against my skin, as if sandpaper was rubbed against it. I had no doubt everyone else felt the same, if not more. 
Jin was powerful, and for once, he was letting everyone know it.
They leave.
He comes to me, and for a second, I was left floundering. I wonder if he was going to let off some steam on me. He seems to always does, with all his snapping and yelling and training. But he says nothing.
"Jin," I start, as he places his hands on my shoulders and spins me around. I am left with my back to him as I face the floor length mirror against the walk-in closet. Quickly and wordlessly, he picks up where the tailor had left off. I feel his fingers, deft yet quietly graceful and competent, against my back. "Are you okay?"
He doesn't answer me, and I don't really expect him to. Jin's bouts of silence were without trigger. He continues sewing, running one hand against the inside of the blazer as the needle and thread work through the fabric.
"I saw it."
I blink, glancing over my shoulder to see him kneeling at the hem of the blazer. He's almost done sewing. That was fast.
"Your vision."
My eyes widen at that. So that was what the tingle of magic against my palm had been.
"How?"
"A Spell that reflects the visions of clairvoyants," he answers mildly, as if it were no big deal. "Something like a personal TV."
Jin's knowledge of magic was amazing, at times even frightening. There didn't seem to be an existing spell he didn't know of.
He is finally done, wrapping the loose thread around his finger before he snags it off. He starts running his fingers lightly against the fabric of my pants and blazer, finding any more tears in the seams. The quiet concentration on his face offsets the usual scowl. It was a nice change in scenery. I whip my head back to the front. Now was not the time for such thoughts.
He finds another tear against my peak lapel and he stands facing me this time, near enough that I can see the little Cupid bow of his lips as he stares down the fabric and starts sewing.
I'd always thought that Jin had a permanent scowl, and as I stared, I realized I was right. The shape of Jin's lips created the illusion of a scowl when he wasn't smiling.
What did they call it? A resting face? Well, Jin had it, and he had it bad.
"Is there anything you can't do?" I ask, mostly to distract myself, because a full on view of Jin this close was *distracting*.
"Cook."
"How come?"
"Because I don't need to consume human food to survive."
Oh. Well he had a point there. Jin fed very well on the energies of those around him and by those around him I meant me. He was a very powerful being and few beings could sustain him like I could. However that didn't mean I was his only food source. Jin could work on anything to satiate his appetite, though the amount of course, would be pretty large.
Hence the running joke of Jin's vast appetite. 
But then again, Jin was powerful enough to not require feeding for weeks at a time so I guess needing to gorge himself when he *did* feed sort of made sense.
"Oh."
Just as I was figuring out a way to continue the conversation, Jin finishes his sewing, snagging the hanging thread off with his teeth. That of course, requires him to bend towards me, head near my chest which makes my already frazzled nerves light up. I am greeted with a view of the top of his head.
He smells lightly of lilies. I vaguely wonder if all the children of Lucifer had the same scent, before Jin straightens, inspecting the lapel with a critical eye.
He is seemingly satisfied. 'Seemingly' because I've never seen the damned man smile off-camera. But I assume he was, in the way he walks away and places the needle and thread against the makeshift dressing table - after I'd inexplicably hurled the original one into the suite next door.
Luckily, the whole floor was filled with members of the supernatural community - my bodyguards - so I doubt I'd actually inflicted any permanent damage.
And then he turns to me, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans lightly against the table.
Uh oh.
I knew that pose. I knew what it signified, what it meant. It meant Jin had an idea, and it was going to be a really dumb idea because it would involve hurting people who were not me and by not me, I mean him and maybe everyone in a mile's radius and by hurt, I mean greviously injure and also possibly die.
I hate Jin's ideas, hate them mostly because they usually work.
"No." I didn't need to hear it to know that I wouldn't agree to it.
"You saw what was in the vision. And you saw it for a reason. Fate needs you to change it."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" I ask, making sure he knew how sarcastic I was.
"One of us has to die." And *damn it*. He's said it so casually, so lightly and easily. I feel my anger come alive, momentarily forgetting about the future. Because I knew whose life he'd choose.
"Then let me."
"You know that's not how it works. The Death of the Aamon would only -"
"Half the people in attendance right now want to kill me. It only takes one of them to succeed." Jin only gives me a cursory glance, but the moment shows me a microexpression of pure rage on his face, before it is gone, replaced with his familiar resting face.
"And they will all fail. I will make sure of it."
"At the cost of letting me live and kill them all?" I found myself stalking forward. I was too angry to control where my feet were taking me. But I stand before Jin, ready to drop one hell of a nagging on his shoulders. "If you really saw it, you know what will happen. I go berserk. I'll just -"
Jin suddenly lashes out. He is so quick that his hand is but a blur of movement, yet I pretty much *feel* the effect of it, as with one hand clutching my jaw tightly, he pulls me towards, close enough that I notice the faint smell of lilies has an even fainter smell of mint sticking to it.
He has strange deodorant.
"There is another part of the prophecy that not many are aware of." His voice is frighteningly calm, a quiet warning to the storm coming. He starts to repeat the prophecy verbatim, as if I didn't already have it drilled into my skull. "Only the Aamon shall stop the ascension of Lucifer. Should he fail, God Himself shall descend, bringing at his tail the destruction of Creation." But he continues on. "The smiting of the Fallen Angel by the Aamon shall relinquish Lucifer's hold of Hell, thus ending his reign."
I stare. It takes me a moment to know what he's implying. But it doesn't make me happy.
"I can't kill Lucifer. I don't *want* to take over the Courts of Hell."
"I'm not talking about Lucifer."
I frown. What was he talking about, then? Was there something he wanted me to figure out?
Fallen Angel. Was that not Satan himself? The Angel who went against God's command and was cast to Hell for all eternity. Perhaps the term was to be taken literally.
A fallen angel. Where else would an angel fall to?
Earth?
But there weren't any fallen angels on Earth. None that I know of.
I focus on Jin, seeing the hard no-argument look in his eyes, and it dawns on me.
An Angel on Earth. Azazel. The Archangel.
Jin.
My hand moves on instinct, and I found myself clutching Jin's lapel in a fit of unrestrained rage. I had the idea to pull him towards me, but he remained stationary, and the only person who moved forward was myself.
"I am *not* going to kill you."
"I suppose you prefer the alternative of killing everyone else."
"I'm not going to kill anyone!"
Jin's painful hold of my chin finally loosens, and he lets go, letting his hand fall against his lap, though I still had a pretty strong grip on his blazer.
I was still pretty angry.
"Pray tell, Aamon. What other ideas do you have?"
He's never called me Aamon before. I take it is a sign that he is pretty damn serious about this strange discussion we're having.
"I'll think of something!" I snap. Great argument, Taehyung, I think to myself. "We don't even know what will set me off. Maybe it's you and your stupid decisions to somehow always die on me -"
"I don't die on you."
"Or another assassination attempt on my head -"
"I won't let that happen."
"Or I sneeze and black out and lose control of my powers!"
I was continuously talking over him because that seemed to be the only way to get my point across. Jin didn't look as I angry as I felt and that somehow made me feel worse, like as if he knew his decision was the best.
"In the grander scale of things -"
I cut him off before he can continue. I know that argument, know the point he'll raise, know that stupid phrase well enough to know that I'd still deny it anyway.
'In the grander scale of things,' Jin would say once in a while, 'one life is nothing.'
And he's said this over and over. It was just one life. It was for the greater good, for the sake of survival of the majority. In a war, casualties were common. Collateral damage was an evil necessity. And he'd go on and on until I screamed over him often enough to get him to give up and just drop the subject.
Because it wasn't just one life.
It was *his* life. It was Jin's life and I would never admit it aloud but for Jin, I would die over and over again just so he could maybe go another day and realise that this Earth was worth fighting for. It was worth living for and there was beauty in every atom of Creation and in every atom of *him*.
I knew Jin, knew that despite how he's never said it aloud, that he hated himself with every fibre of his core. That he hated who he was, what he was, and all that he stood for. That the only reason he stayed here on Earth was because he was awaiting Doom's Day, awaiting the Apocalypse that would surely come and destroy him. That the only reason he didn't kill himself was because it would only take him home; back to Hell. A place he despised so much that a dream of his was to watch it crumble, with his father along with it.
"You should know that I never look at the grander scale of things. I look at what I have, what is before me. And the only person before me right now is you." Jin is quiet for once, letting me churn out my argument as he listens. "So I won't lose you. I will *never* lose you."
"Then you are selfish." That jolts me. Of all the things Jin could say, I had not expected that. "And weak." Okay, that too. "Letting your emotions control you will only allow others the opportunity to use you. You are Aamon! Once you let yourself be stepped on -"
"This is *my life*," I interrupt. "*I* am the Aamon, as you have kindly pointed out. Only I control myself. Let them think they can step on me. Let them see me as weak, selfish. But I will *never* let others die for my namesake." I finally let go of my hold on his lapel. I'd crumpled it badly. It looked like it really needed a visit with a clothes iron - and fast. "So I'll think of something else."
I straighten, and since Jin is leaning against the table, he looks up at me. The flourescent lights from above make his lashes cast tiny shadows on his face. It makes his eyelashes appear amazingly long. And against his pale skin, the offset was breathtaking. What a strange time to think him as beautiful.
But that was what he was. Beautiful.
Strange, for the Son of Satan.
"You are a fool, V," he quietly says, as he straightens, and the shadows are gone.
"It's what I've always been known as," I say, giving him a grin I hoped didn't look much like a grimace.
I turn to walk away, just as he reaches out, pushing a stray lock of hair out of my eyes and tucking it behind my ear. And his hand stops right there, resting lightly against my hair, barely touching my skin.
He leans forward, lips near my ear. 
I am somehow frozen, not sure what he's about to do, yet trusting him enough to let him do it anyway.
"But this is the path I choose."
I whirl around to face him, automatically shoving him away just as he whispers a spell. I slam my shields down, quickly encompassing myself in a bubble of protection.
The spell travels. I literally *see* its physical form in a cloud of smoke, as it travels towards me, and then through my shields.
*Through them*. Spells weren't diffusable, especially not through shields as powerful as mine. But it simply breezes through, much to my own fascination and horror.
And then it goes into me, straight between my ribs. The act makes me gasp, and I clutch at my chest. The sensation of the spell is as physical as its form. It spreads throughout my body, a strange sensation that numbs me down to my toes.
And then all the power behind that spell finally catches up, and I am physically thrown across the length of the room. Incredibly, I land smack against the only sofa in the room, falling sideways as I clutch at the spot where the spell hit.
If I'd been angry then, that same rage had been quadrupled now. *No one* made my decisions for me. No one had access to my body without my permission. *No one had the right to stop my decisions*.
"What did you do?" I know he isn't there. He's disappeared again, teleporting himself probably at the coronation venue. But I still rage on. How dare he. How *dare he*?! *"What did you do?!"*
I feel the burst of power once more, this time coming from me. It's been a long time since I've ever been this angry. The Earth shudders at my feet, and I smell the leather burn away at my touch. I vaguely hear the waiting room door burst open, and my barrage of guards run in, only to stop when they see me. They don't move.
They don't bother. Few things could stop me.
And one of the things that could had just pissed me off enough to aggravate the power.
The coronation wasn't going well, and it hadn't even started yet.
"Your Highness!"
I close my eyes, clenching my fists as I fight to control myself. I couldn't afford to lose control now, not when there was so much at stake. Not when that *idiot* Jin was about to do something stupid.
The coronation was supposed to start in a few minutes.
Whatever it was that would trigger the events of my vision, I had to figure out, and soon.
I open my eyes. The Earth has stopped shaking, and there are no more flames surrounding me.
*I was shaking*, I realised, *and drenched in sweat too*. Apparently curbing the power took more effort than unleashing it.
Some guards comes to me, helping me sit up with sturdy hands against my shoulders, back and chest.
"Your Highness, is there -"
"No. I'm fine." I was panting. This was strange. Controlling my powers shouldn't have made me this weak. I've wreaked a lot more havoc without breaking a sweat.
The spell. Could it be?
Trying to prove myself wrong, I attempt to stand. And then fall over, landing on all fours.
"Your Highness!" More hands, pulling me upright, forcing me to stand and drag me back to the couch.
Alright, *now* Jin was going to get a nagging from me.

"Are you nervous?" 
"Why should I be?"
Jungkook grins, hearing the sarcasm in my tone. 
"Do you want me to list the reasons?"
"Oh hush," I answer, swatting at him as he laughs and backs away.
"You're finally going to be recognized as Aamon." His tone is amused, but I can tell the relief behind it. It was a good sign, that the supernatural community would finally recognize me as Aamon. It meant that I could at least get my job done without assassins from their Courts chasing me down every time I turned a corner. At least the load would be a tad bit lighter.
"Your Highness." I turn my head, seeing the Victor greet me at the door. Jungkook takes a respectful step back, positioning himself behind me, near my left shoulder.
"Your Excellency," I murmur in answer, immediately wary of the smug grin that seemed to be a permanent fixture on the man. What did he want?
"A reminder that you shall be expected to enter with the representatives of your Court." I nod. I'd already gone through proceedings. I knew what to do. "And your current associate is… missing."
I barely blink at that.
Jin had disappeared after our confrontation. Of course, he might be hanging under everyone's noses, just out of sight. It would make sense, for security purposes, but that hadn't been part of the plan and Jin had been pretty forward to us about the importance of sticking to it.
"He'll make himself known when needed," I answer curtly.
Other than Jin, who'd sworn loyalty to my Court without my own consent, I didn't really… have any other representatives of Court. The Parliament was still pretty reluctant to recognize me and the Seraphim, beings created to protect and serve the reigning Aamon, were still out to kill me, as to my knowledge. 
Jungkook couldn't represent me because he was a Were and would be bound to his pack, should one make a claim. In the meantime, for safety and security purposes, he was claimed by Jin, who although was a representative of my Court, could practically do as he pleases since his power probably supercedes mine.
Safe to say the only representative of my Court was me.
"In the meantime, I shall walk alone. The attendees don't need to see my Court."
The Victor raised an amused eyebrow. "They do if you want them to take you seriously."
"This is *my* coronation," I remind him. "I don't owe them anything."
The Victor nods at that. It was an obvious fact you couldn't disprove. "Very well. Your ride shall be here shortly."
He doesn't move, and I don't expect him to. We were expected to arrive together to the coronation, since I was technically still under the Hunter's Court's protection and owed them at least a walk down the ceremony.
The politics behind it were complicated, since I as the Aamon was technically not supposed to be allied to any parties. Showing up with the Victor would pretty clearly and quickly create the assumption that I was in some sort of friendly alliance with his court and that would of course, trigger other courts to either woo me too, or scream outrage at me for taking sides.
At this point, I was past caring what they'd want to assume. I was probably going to regret it later.
Not two painful minutes of staying too still later, there is a quiet knock on the door. It is only one knock, loud in our silence, but it is our signal.
The Victor turns on his heel, heading out, and Jungkook and I follow after a few seconds. We head downstairs, leaving the headquarters and head for the limousine awaiting us outside. There is a ridiculous number of guards around us, and an equally ridiculous number of cars meant to flank us in our journey.
Right now, staying steady on my feet seemed hard enough. I wasn't sure how I'd do with the coronation.
*Don't be nervous, Mama.*
*I'm not nervous!* I snap, Jungkook's thoughts in my head, as I slide into the limousine, and it starts moving. The interior was equally grossly luxurious as the outside. Jungkook would be taking another vehicle, meant for security personnel. He couldn't be seen with me before the public, lest he endanger himself by somehow getting his pack's attention.
I don't try to hide my frown. The little squirt has always been by my side. It's weird to be without him.
"Something on your mind, Aamon?"
Surprisingly, it was the Victor who had spoken. I hadn't expected him to open his mouth throughout our journey.
"No."
He smiles slightly, obviously not convinced.
"Fear is but a natural emotion." He turns to me this time, and the urge to melt into my seat overwhelms me. There is something very unnerving about the man. "Or perhaps it is not fear on your mind."
I hold his gaze. If it was one thing Heads loved, it was someone cowering at their presence.
"I smell anger… and perhaps doubt."
"You can smell that?" Well, crap. So much for remaining quiet.
His slight smile stretches, a Cheshire grin that is almost predatory in nature.
"Of course. I am a Hunter, after all."
Go figure, I think to myself.
"Worry not, Taehyung." He was still talking. "My people will protect you."
"Forgive me for not being convinced."
"And perhaps that will do you good too."
Bristles run up my skin at the possible hidden meaning beneath his words.
It is a short car ride, and it isn't long before we reach our venue. The limousine stops in front of the mansion, meant to act as neutral ground, and several servants come forward to open the door for us.
I step out.
Cameras, left and right, focus on me. It was a good thing, at least, that I used to be in a boyband. I knew how to react around them, knew when to school my face, when to ignore them. The Victor is by my side as we stand momentarily on the red carpet.
And then the flashes start.
It honestly felt like we were attending some award ceremony. The coronation would be broadcast live for the magical community, and the cameras were as much a safety precaution as a publicity stunt. With so many eyes on the coronation, it was hoped that no sane Court would dare to toe out of line.
Hopefully.
The Victor and I start walking together, standing near enough for the public to assume formal relations, yet just far enough out of reach for me to leap out his way. His guards, which I knew pretty well by face, flanked us all around, like some strange bubble of protection.
It is an agonizing walk.
Without Jin and Jungkook, I felt exposed. With the Victor by my side, I felt more than threatened. And with all the eyes watching me, I was pretty much expecting an attack to charge our way.
Thankfully, we reach the comforting four walls of the mansion, stepping through the doorway.
And immediately find myself standing before a crowd of unfamiliar known faces. Unfamiliar because I've never physically seen them in real life, yet known because I'd spent the whole of four long weeks memorizing the four and a half thousand people supposed to be in attendance.
The sea of faces, spread out over the vast expense of a ballroom, look up at me.
The doorway of the mansion acted as a powerful portal - which would be automatically destroyed the moment I step through - meant to direct us straight to the venue, whilst the rest of the guests had to go through some major security checkpoints before they could even access one of the seven portals required to reach my coronation venue.
My own portal would lead me directly onstage, where my first formal entrance as the Aamon would take place. 
It looks like things were going okay so far.
"Presenting his Highness." The voice literally comes out of nowhere, yet booming from everywhere at once and I manage not to flinch - barely. "Guardian of the Forty Legions of Heaven and Hell, Seer of the Past and Future, Protector of All Souls." I wish they wouldn't read out my title out like that. The pressure and expectations behind those words were drowning. They could have just referred to me as - 
"The Fifth Aamon, King Kim Taehyung."
It felt nauseating. They had to stop calling me King before I threw up.
I step forward. I was supposed to give a speech, supposed to give some false sense of hope for the public, as per the tradition of Aamons before me, but I'd decided against it. I didn't have the face that people tended to take seriously and I wasn't good at giving speeches. As is, the urge to dart my gaze here and there was starting to feel like a seven year itch. I hoped my face at least looked mature enough to pass off as dependable.
I'd been told on multiple, multiple accounts that I looked and acted five. I hoped I didn't look as much like this.
Man, was this hair bun heavy or was it just me?
The Victor finally steps forward, a servant behind him holding a velvet cushion reverently in his hands. Strange how small the rings looked.
"In recognition of His Highness's position as the Aamon," the Victor starts, voice barely raised beyond normal volume. With those in attendance, even a whisper would be caught by the ones at the very back. "The Asian Hunter's Court presents their acknowledgement."
And he slips one of the rings on my right index finger.
It is a bulky mass; the logo of the court engraved against the steel with a jade stone the size of my knuckle set smack in the middle of it. I wouldn't call it ugly. Maybe someone from two centuries ago would marvel at the sheer intricacy of it. 
"I receive such acknowledgement with gratitude."
We nod at each other, before the Victor steps back, melting into the shadows as the Head of another Court steps forward. Despite being under one roof, it's pretty apparent that everyone was still pretty wary of each other.
Not all the Courts would come present tokens of acknowledgement. Most were still doubtful of my ability to reign, guessing that I'd be assassinated somewhen into my rule and they'd probably be right. I just hope that that somewhen would be a long when from now.
Besides, I only had ten fingers.
"The Sovereign of the European Court presents their token of acknowledgement," the Vampire Head before me starts. "In recognition of the Fifth Aamon."
Another ring is slipped on my finger, this time one of intricate silver, decorated with two exceptionally beautiful and tiny rubies shaped into roses. It looked like a pricey engagement ring.
I glance up at the Sovereign, who looks back almost expectantly.
Once upon a time, the European Vampire Court had been in friendly alliance with the Asian Hunter's Court. And as I'd grown up in said Hunter's Court, I knew many of the members of the EVC on a personal level. Such as the Sovereign, who took great liking to me when I was young due to the mere fact that I was a child.
Vampires, by nature, loved children. I hadn't understood it then, but that instinct was due to the fact that most vampires become barren upon turning. The desire for children grows exponentially when one becomes immortal, apparently, and in the decade that the alliance had stood, many vampires of the Court would pause their duties to muse Jungkook and I.
Many a day, the Sovereign would entertain my incessant needs to play tea time and then, when I grew too old for that, would bring Jungkook and I horseback riding into the woods behind the Courts to catch birds.
Even when I'd left the Hunter's Court to be in a boyband, vampires had always been a constant presence. I'd see the Sovereign's representatives drop by from time to time to check up on Jungkook and I, bringing gifts that we somehow always never realised we wanted or needed.
As a preteen always wildly confused by the difference of the outside world and the protective bubble of the Court I'd been raised in, he'd gifted us each a phone, complete with an unlimited data plan I still had no idea who paid the bill for. When I turned into a teenager and rebellion was a phase I relished in, it was a fake ID he gave me that I took great delight in using when I wanted to sneak out. Then when I'd become Aamon, he'd sent me bodyguards and books of past Aamons.
The memories I had of the vampire before me had always been pleasant, and I hoped his favour of me still stood, even if the alliance had ended in an ugly fashion.
"Thank you," I say. "I receive such acknowledgement with gratitude."
He nods at me, and I at him, before he goes off stage and another Head of Court replaces him.
And it continues on and on, until I have six rings on my fingers, each Court ring trying to best the other in terms of design and price. They look mismatched on my long fingers. Seems like none of the Courts had made the effort to coordinate their designs to work well with each other.
I stare at them. A week ago, some of the Courts of the rings I wore were out to kill me. Today, they present me with tokens of acknowledgement. Politics was a real headache.
"His Highness the Aamon King Taehyung shall now address the attendees."
I still wasn't sure who was speaking. The man had a voice that reminded me of that evil dude in Big Hero 6. Yes, I did watch movies, and the temptation to whirl around and look was astounding, but I managed to keep it in check by focusing on the guests.
"It is an honour," I start, making sure to at least maintain half a second's worth of eye contact with each person present, "to stand amongst such powerful individuals." It was scripted, of course. Nothing I said or did today would be of my own doing. "I extend my gratitude for your presence."
I continue forward. The eyes on me were starting to feel more like laser pointers, the sort which had a sniper on the other end. I descend the stairs, coming nearer and nearer to the crowd. Some tilt their chin up in my direction, others nod in acknowledgement when I meet their eyes. Some even place their hands over their chest, the largest sign of respect a Head would allow himself.
And then just as I reach the bottom step, I let out a ripple of power.
It was fully scripted, the guards would be expecting it, and the guests shouldn't be shocked, since showing off your power during your coronation was a norm.
What I hadn't expected however, was the reaction from my own body.
I felt the sluggishness return, felt the dull sensation that made me lose focus for a moment. Then a fierce headache attacks the back of my mind, strong and sudden enough that I almost falter in step. 
Almost.
Jin's spell.
I couldn't tell for sure, but I was almost certain Jin had placed some sort of tab on my powers. Each time I used them, the urge to faint became stronger. I think he was planning to somehow stop my vision coming true by completely draining me. It was an unexpected but clever tactic.
If I was too weak, I couldn't use my powers. And I couldn't go bat crazy trying to kill everyone here.
Still. The sensation wasn't welcoming. I had to pause in step, as the quiet feel of power passes through the guests, travelling until even those at the very end would have a feel.
And from the looks of quiet amusement on their faces, I knew they thought I was pretty powerful. Good.
My vision was going hazy.
"The Aamon without the support of the people is but a name." A servant comes forward with a tray holding a shot glass of whiskey. Normal human tradition would've used champagne, but such weak alcohol content would've been tantamount to water to us. I wordlessly retrieve it, turning back to the sea of faces. The rings on my fingers reflected on the glass, giving off small specks of colours. "And a society without peace is but a dystopia." I hold my glass up slightly, and the guests do the same. "To us. A society of peace and equals."
That would rile a few sensitive ones up, since 'equals' was not really a way most specie viewed the other. But they nod, murmuring "to us" collectively. And then we throw the glasses back.
Well, alcohol must've worked together with the spell just fine, because I wasn't just having hazy vision, I was about to go straight up diagonal.
But I catch myself before I falter, and I place the shot glass back on the awaiting servant's tray. That would mark the official end of the coronation, but the ceremony wasn't over yet. Technically, I still had to mingle with the crowd and accept offerings of peace - also known as bribery, in my books.
And the air of formality around the room finally mellows, the guests starting to mingle. The presence of guards also suddenly became more obvious. From the upper balconies, perhaps seventy look down on us, wary eyes searching for any possible attacks on my head.
I wonder where Jin and Jungkook are. 
Jin had told me he didn't have a set schedule or anything; he was only going to hang around to oversee everything in his invisible state. And him being in his original, unseeable state basically made him undetectable to a very large number of wards and spells.
Jungkook was meant to be overseeing the portals, away from the guests, because the Lycan Courts were a pretty large presence here.
"Your Highness." 
I look up, quickly plastering on a smile. And then the smile extends into a grin as I see who it is.
"Your Excellency." The Sovereign meets my grin with his own.
"I extend my congratulations," he says, stopping a respectable distance away. "Strange to see another Aamon rule, least of all you."
I scrunch my nose in playful distaste, but maintain my posture. The last I heard, the Sovereign was five centuries old. Considering the last Aamon had ruled for three thousand years, it probably was a rude shock for such an able ruler to be replaced with the likes of me. "Change is eminent at times."
"Yes," he muses, the grin shrinking to a small, knowing smile. A servant vampire comes forward, holding what looked like a long staff wrapped loosely in silk. "The European Courts present their gift to the new Aamon."
I smile, but don't retrieve it. Instead, a bodyguard hovering by my side takes it. I wasn't supposed to touch any thing or any one before they had gone through the guards' security checks, and I glance at them as they take it away.
"Now, child," the Sovereign playfully chides, "you hurt me. Did you honestly think I would hide a bomb in there?"
"No," I say, still staring as the guards head behind the curtains. I give him a side glance, seeing that the Sovereign has tilted his head at me in a very faux display of innocence. "But my guards do."
"Ah. We cannot help their doubt then."
And then they return, with my gift very clumsily wrapped in the cloth once more.
"What did you get me?" I ask, finally able to hold the gift in my own hands.
"Something stupid," the Sovereign answers.
"He ain't kidding," my guard chips in in agreement.
I unwind the cloth, letting it drop to the floor.
It turns out to be a bow and cluster of arrows, coloured a beautiful metallic black and lined with gold. I raise an eyebrow, looking up at the Sovereign once more.
I'd once said, in passing, as a child, upon watching the wildly popular anime Princess Mononoke with him, that I too, wanted to be a skilled archer just like Prince Aaka. I doubted he'd taken me seriously, in the way he laughed, but vampires were the elephants of the supernatural world - they never forget.
And I guess he still found it funny.
"You shouldn't have."
"But I did," he grins. It was a running joke between us. My guardians would always say that whenever he gifted me something, and it was always his reply. I quickly followed, and for many a time, the two of us would find it pretty damn hilarious. "Would you like to test it out?"
*"No!"* I hadn't said that, but the four guards around me had. I couldn't blame them. I had the ability to trip on air. Give me a gun and I'd probably make it explode somehow.
But the challenge had been there, loud and clear, and I grin, immediately taking an arrow out and positioning it against the bow. 
"Your Highness…"
Weird. They'd always called me Taehyung, especially when they were screaming at me to get out the way. But I suppose with everyone present, they couldn't risk a scene.
Well, technically, I could.
I pull the string back, positioning the arrow with my right hand as I find a random target. 
I find one.
"Hey, Fenrir." My Werewolf bodyguard a small distance away whirls around, mild surprise in his eyes which very quickly transforms into panic at what I was pointing at him. 
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the Sovereign says in a sing-song tone.
Huh. Another challenge.
"Your Highness?" Fenrir is looking a bit under the weather, as he turns to face me completely, taking a step back. I stretch the string taut.
"Fetch."
I tilt the arrow upwards at the last second. My aim was *notorious* for being horrible. Jin had once said the best thing I could do was just use my powers because with a weapon in my hands, I'd probably hurt myself than my intended target.
"Child." I can hear the amusement in the Sovereign's tone.
I let go of the string, and the arrow sails through the air. We all watch - the Sovereign and I with curiousity, while my guards with abetted breath. 
The arrow travels. I'm sure my eyes are deceiving me, but it seems to pick up speed, elongating and then finally, catching fire in a burst of impressive purple fire. It hits the target I had in mind - which was a big surprise on its own - and explodes. The explosion isn't large, barely enough to leave a hole the size of a basketball against the wall. It would put a hole in a person, but not on the people around him. Bits of debris rain down on Fenrir, who ducks, flinching away.
"Woah," I mutter, eyes wide as I stare at the little hole.
"Indeed," the Sovereign muses. "Enchanted with a bullseye and combustion spell. It should help you in… times of need."
I find the bow and arrow being unceremoniously taken away from me and I pout. Then again, I couldn't go around greeting the Heads with such a weapon in hand.
"Thanks," I say, glaring after the guards.
"The puppy isn't here?" I turn to the Sovereign again. He meant Jungkook of course, another favourite of his.
"He's on guard duty," I answer, careful to not reveal too much.
"I brought his gift." That has my attention - not because he'd brought Jungkook a gift; the two of us came in a nondetachable pair, so gifts would usually come in twos too - but because he'd told me. Gifts to me went to me. Gifts to Jungkook went to Jungkook. We didn't act as each other's messengers. "Perhaps you may pass it to him."
My guards weren't here. They wouldn't see whatever it was the Sovereign wanted to give.
He barely moves, but I feel the gust of wind from the quick burst of speed, and then my pocket bulges oh so slightly. 
I blink, before reaching in to take the gift out.
It is a thick leather drawstring bracelet, a combination of white, black and brown. Several trinkets hang around it, made of a metal that was strangely warm to the touch.
"It will look good on him."
The Sovereign's gifts were never useless. Jungkook and I always somehow end up depending heavily on them and now should be no exception. The bracelet would be something significant. Important. Powerful.
I clench my fist around it, hiding it in my hands.
"I will see that he receives it."
"I appreciate the thoughtful gesture," the Sovereign nods, no longer smiling. 
"Your Highness, the Mage Court awaits you."
"I leave you to your duties, Your Highness." He bows slightly. Before I could respond, he's melted away into the crowd. I turn to the bodyguard nearest to me, pressing the bracelet into the palm of his hand.
"Jungkook forgot his favourite bracelet. Pass it to him immediately." I'm lucky it's one of the newer, more compliant guards who only nods and disappears into the shadows.
And I am left alone in the sea of people. 

It's the second hour and so far so good.
The guards continue rotation, mingling with the crowds, accepting my gifts for me and then handing them back. Jin and Jungkook still aren't with me. I'm managing well talking to the twelfth Court representative of the night, a member of the Faerie Court who gifts me with a three foot tall box full of and fertility pills because no gift was greater than children according to their culture.
I'd hate to break it to him that Aamon did not create offspring.
And now he is trying to woo me to bed and his Court, despite the fact that children between us was clearly impossible since we were literally the same gender. But I muse him because he was four centuries old and still had no children and that was the worst plight that could befall anyone of his kind. Well, according to him.
"The riches that would be given to you, Your Highness," he promises, trying and ultimately failing to tempt me to join his Court. I only smile, letting him continue but not really focusing. "The Faerie are known for the purity of their gold that is like no other."
"Your Highness, the Lycan Court awaits you."
Well thank *God* for that. I was starting to fall asleep to the incessant empty chatter of the elf. The disappointment and disdain is clear on his face for being interrupted, but he says nothing in disagreement. He turns to me, the faux smile back against his lips.
"Please pardon me for restraining your time, Your Highness. Perhaps I shall speak to you again once we have the opportunity."
"May it soon come." I say but bloody hell do I not mean. One more word from him and I was going to find someone to put a muting spell on my ears.
He melts away, and I turn around to see the Asian Lycan Alpha standing behind me, members of her Court hovering near her. She nods at me and I offer a smile back. 
"Your Highness," she greets.
"Dame Erina. An honour."
"The honour is mine." I heard the Alpha was a cold woman. Where most Heads of Court were charming and coy in order to work politics their way, Erina was all calculated words and ruthlessness. She got her way by knocking others out and I'd heard she'd ascended to Alpha status only by killing her father, the previous Alpha. She didn't even have many alliances.
Her strength was in the greatness of the number of her people.
I wonder if she was Jungkook's Alpha too. He looked Asian, and she pretty much ruled over all the Weres of Asia.
She extends her hand for a handshake. I stop. She should know the procedure. I wasn't supposed to do handshakes. But with all the members of so many Courts staring, refusing would be a big no-no. Not to mention the embarrassment and insult a rejected handshake would imply.
No one moves. My bodyguards won't intercept something as complicated as this and neither will hers. A member of Court going against a Head, even if it is of a separate Court, could bring the death penalty on his head. 
I suppose with the weight of everyone watching, I had no choice but to take a step forward, covering the distance between us. I accept the handshake, feeling the heat of her hand that reminds me so much of Jungkook's own warmth.
And then she tightens her hold, her nails digging into my flesh.
"You smell of my kind." Nothing in her face has changed. Her expression remains neutral. But something in her eyes has shifted. The cold has turned to pure ice. "You have stolen a man from me."
Uh oh.
"I am unsure of what you speak of, Dame Erina," I say, forcing myself to remain calm. "Perhaps the man you speak of is one of my bodyguards."
Fenrir, bless his attentive soul, comes forward, a hand over his chest. "Forgive me, Dame Erina. I am of the European Lycan Courts. My scent may have -"
"Do you take me for a fool, Aamon?" The hold tightens. I'm pretty sure the bones of my hand are brushing against each other from her strength. "You smell of my Courts. You have a Were in your hold that you hide from me." Her eyes travel around the room, as if she is actively searching for her Were. "I want him returned."
Eyes turn to us. Dead silence descends on the room.
Either Erina was really brave, or she was really, really dumb. Of course, she had every right to challenge me for her Were, but at my own coronation, one had to wonder if she had a death wish of sorts. 
Then again, this confrontation would be my first true test of how I reacted to tribulations, as Aamon.
I tilt my head at her. "Are you challenging me at my own coronation?"
And I feel the bones in my hand crack, and she roars. I mean, literally roar, her jaw stretching to cheek-ripping size as her teeth lengthen into fangs and the guttural roar echoes around the hall.
Whoops.
I feel an arm wrap around my waist, hurling me back as Jin suddenly solidifies out of thin air, Jungkook by his side. They stand before me, each having a hand against my shoulders to hold me back.
Jungkook's wrist is wearing the leather bracelet the Sovereign had given him, and it is glowing a pretty terrifying gold.
"Dame Erina." Unbelievably, Jungkook was the one talking to the livid Alpha. The damned Lady was *his* Alpha. What did he honestly think he could do against her? "An honour."
"I regret the circumstances you meet in," Jin continues. "But be wise. You cannot win if you attack here and now."
Erina is staring at Jungkook, her eyes calculative and cold. The spell Jin has placed on him would make communication between them impossible, and perhaps that only fuels her anger. An Alpha must be able to 'hear' her pack at all times. Knowing that one was standing right before her and she couldn't, was probably the biggest challenge to her status as leader of her Court.
I clutch my broken hand against my chest. The pain would come later. Right now, panic was the only thing on my mind. That and the fact that that *stupid* idiot Jin had brought Jungkook here when he was supposed to go into hiding!
"Tell me, Aamon," she starts, eyes still on Jungkook. "What is it that you plan to achieve by doing this?" She starts to move, walking in a slow circle around me. Jin and Jungkook move as she does, back never to her. "You take my son, place a claim on his head, have him as bodyguard to your Court, and now tempt me to challenge you, right before all the Heads of the earth. You even place a spell on his head to cut his connection to me. Why do you spite me so?"
"The Aamon wishes to spite no one," Jin answers for me. "He is always open to diplomatic -"
"Hush, bodyguard," she interrupts, finally turning her gaze on me. "Return my son to me, and we shall leave this be. He is part of my pack. I am his Alpha. My right of claim supercedes yours."
Jin gives me the side-eye. It is his signal that this was my call.
"Jungkook has always been by my side based on free will." Jin and Jungkook drop their hands from my shoulders and move slightly away so I didn't have to peer over their heads to meet the Alpha's eyes. "No pack has ever made a move to claim him. Not before my coronation."
Erina has narrowed her eyes at me, staring accusingly. "What do you imply?"
"I am implying exactly what you think. Jungkook has always had his own say and I give him the opportunity to do the same. If he wishes to return to you, then I shan't stop him."
She makes a sound that seemed like a cross between a scoff and a laugh. "The command of the Alpha becomes law to the pack. Had you not placed the blocking spell on his wrist, he would be by my side long before."
"All the more reason to." So that was what the Sovereign's gift was for. An enchantment that blocks the command of the Alpha. I had to remind myself to thank him again.
Her eyes go livid. The cold in them is gone, for they are now alight with rage.
"Do not play with the order of things, Your Highness. It is not in your place." I've never heard someone sound so scornful.
"And it is not in your place to tell me where I belong." Well, I hadn't been expecting Jungkook to speak up. Especially against a freaking Alpha. *His* freaking Alpha. Right before the Courts.
That does it. Erina was going to take no more insults to her name.
She literally leaps forward, mouth shaped in a scary snarl.
And then her image of a petite lady is gone, and she is suddenly a Lady no more. What replaces her is a Werewolf easily twice the size of Jungkook, and what replaces the scary snarl is a full-on terrifying roar as jaws easily twice the size of my head open to reveal a mouth full of fangs.
All I manage is a gasp, as Jungkook suddenly runs forward as well, transforming into a wolf and attacking her head on. He was a dwarf compared to her.
"NO!" I scream, just as Jin catches me from running towards the two. His arms lock around my waist, and I spin around to face him.
"You idiot!" I screech, hands automatically flying up to grab his lapel. The noise levels were starting to really escalate, as the rest of the members of Erina's court catch up to her, transforming into a dizzying mix of Were-animals and attacking the guards trying to break up the fight. Not many run forward.
Because of the complicated nature of alliances, helping separate Courts in battle could sometimes really go South, especially if it soured other relationships supporting the warring courts.
I can see only the vampires, hunters and Weres run forward. Even my own bodyguards don't move. The danger didn't involve me. It was between my Court, but it wasn't about me on a personal level.
As long as I stayed out of the fight, so would everyone else.
"You were supposed to keep him safe!" I continue.
"No, I was supposed to keep *you* safe," Jin answers, eyes on the fight. Since he was pressing my chest against his, I couldn't really tell what was going on, but it couldn't be good.
Jin starts backing away and I start squirming.
"If you hadn't kept a tab on my powers, I'd be whooping your !" I scream.
"Safety first."
"And tell me how that's coming along!" I start to push him away, feeling my broken bones grind against each other. "Let me go. I have to -"
"You cannot intervene," Jin says, finally turning his eyes on me. And I hear the rush of his tone, see the seriousness in his eyes. "This has become something Jungkook must settle himself. It is between the Alpha and him. This is not your fight."
"Like Hell, it isn't," I seethe. Our faces are barely an inch apart. I could maybe use my forehead to knock some sense into him. "Jungkook is here because of me. He's chosen to stay by my side."
"And that is his choice," Jin quickly argues, eyes darting back to the scene behind me. "So he must deal with the consequences."
"His Consequence is twice his size!" I screech. 
And then Jin turns to me once more, that look in his eyes that said he was going to be really displeased with what he's about to do. 
"If I break up the fight, do you promise to keep away?"
"No! This is *my* damn ceremony!"
And Jin mumbles something *really* profane under his breath. 
"At least promise to stay safe."
"I'm Aamon. I'm never safe!"
I see a vein pulse against his forehead. He looked like he was about to explode. "Then stay here until I get back to you!"
"Okay." That, I could probably do. "Just make sure Jungkook's safe."
He says nothing more, finally letting go of me and running forward.
I whirl around, literally dying to see what was going on. And nearly drop to my knees.
There were nearly twenty Weres to maybe seven of my own bodyguards fighting each other off. The Weres move with surprising bursts of speed despite their size, and were using their jaws to play with my guards. 
And I do mean play. The Weres easily outnumbered them, and they were playing some sort of ragdoll game where when one Were had his teeth on one guard, the other would come forward and they'd basically bite and pull until some limbs tore off.
But the main spectacle was obviously the Alpha and Jungkook. 
Erina, though tiny in human form, was ultimately staggering as a wolf. Jungkook wouldn't stand a chance against her.
They are a snarling mess, Jungkook quick enough to dodge her powerful bites and swipes. He manages to latch his jaws against her underbelly and Erina roars in pain, shaking herself like a dog that's just left its bath.
She manages to get Jungkook off her, as he is thrown a short distance away.
I feel my anger rise, feel my power start to bubble, and then feel the numbing sensation of that stupid spell Jin has on me that tries to knock me out each time I call my power forward.
Jungkook quickly gets up, shaking himself momentarily before he is charging at her again. Erina roars at him in what was probably a show of dominance, but Jungkook is undeterred.
Whatever Jin was planning to do, he better do it fast.
I search for him - easy since he's the only one insane enough to run *towards* the tiny wolf battling the massive dog-hulk. And then he suddenly disappears, doing that strange Djinn thing where he was able to leap between worlds, space and dimension like a stone skimming against the surface of a lake.
Jungkook leaps, jaws wide in a roar, ready to latch on to Erina again. I don't know what he plans to do. The massive canine monster didn't look like she was beatable. Erina roars once more, before she leaps for him, and the two wolves converge in the air, slamming into each other and tumbling to the ground in a mess of fur and fangs.
I am stricken with fear staring at the two. One is an Alpha twice the size of an average, who has ruled for a near century, with a full Court at her disposal. Another was Jungkook. Just Jungkook, an eight year old stuck in the body of an eighteen year old, whose silly grins and innocence are one of the few things that make my life bearable.
Erina's jaws suddenly unhinged impossibly wide. I swear I can see down her esophagus even from this distance. And those impossibly wide jaws, with those impossibly sharp teeth, clamp down on the nape of Jungkook's neck. They are large enough to completely engulf his neck like a hand that curls around a golf ball.
Jungkook isn't roaring anymore.
I don't think he can even breath, much less fight her off as Erina starts to shake him like a rag doll. I literally hear the tendons and muscles rip, the fangs tearing through the flesh.
I run forward. Screw promises. I wasn't about to keep my word when Jungkook's safety was in such danger.
"Jungkook!"
And her eye swivels to my direction.
The feeling that starts to rise in the pit of my stomach isn't one I can easily put into words. There is something about having an extremely large, extremely powerful and extremely angry predator focus its attention on you that makes you stop in your tracks, makes a raw, pure form of fear fill you from top to toe.
I take a step back as she throws Jungkook a distance, the act looking like she's just spit him out the back of . He is knocked somewhere into the crowd. I don't check if he's gotten up, my sole focus on the Asian Alpha. And she moves, her Lycan form practically rippling with power, charging towards me.
My bodyguards move too. The threat was now directed straight at me and they put on the offensive. But that somehow creates a ripple effect, as the rest of her Court moves, and suddenly around twenty Weres are charging for me. My bodyguards manage to intercept her, but that unfortunately creates leeway for Erina.
She leaps towards me, roaring in rage.
Crap. If Jin hadn't placed such a strong tab on my powers, I would've knocked her out the way or even disabled her with some fire. As is, showing off my power to the crowd was already exhausting enough. There was no way I could hold against her.
She is flying closer and closer. 
And Jin reappears, standing before me, his back against my chest. He presses something into the palm of my unbroken hand. It feels like cold metal, but I instinctively curl my hand around it. The power in whatever it was, hummed against my palm.
Erina slams into us, using one giant paw that was the size of my chest to swipe at Jin. I hear cloth, skin and muscle tear, see the burst of silver blood paint the air. There wasn't even time to scream, as the both of us are sent flying, Jin to the left from the force of that humongous claw swipe, me to the back from the force of Erina against us.
I land against my back hard enough that my much abused skull is greeted with another feel of the floor. At least the carpet and my hair bun had cushioned the blow a bit. I look up, instinctively searching for Jin.
He is a considerable distance away, his back to me. So like him to hide his injuries from me even when he was hurt that badly. He wasn't moving. The puddle of silver he was lying in was still spreading.
Well at least he was still alive.
The onset of rage returns, replacing the fear that had been blinding me moments before. How dare she.
I push myself off the ground, finally glancing down at the thing Jin has pressed against my hand. A short sword, probably a foot and a half long. The gleaming metal and the intricate designs engraved on the blade hinted that it was made of enchanted silver.
Great, because despite my morals, I *really* wanted to hurt the .
Jin knew how bad I was at weapons. I tended to hurt myself before I could hurt others. But the tab on my powers was going to stay. I knew he wouldn't take the risk of the vision coming true, even if preventing it meant his death. Because it was just the person Jin was.
I felt something trickle down my chin and move to wipe at it. A glance at my hand showed that it was blood - mine. Great. I was having a nosebleed *now*, in a room full of vampires of all times and places.
Erina is still there, in wolf form, staring at me from maybe twenty feet away. Her gaze is haughty, her posture confident.
She thinks she is going to win.
I twirl the hilt in my hands. I wasn't an expert in the art of swords, but I knew enough to at least be able to stab someone with one.
"Come at me, ."
She charges, and I ready my stance. The blade is behind me.
I call my power forward. The sluggishness of Jin's spell returns with it. If I concentrated just hard enough, I'd be able to condense it into the blade. The use of power would then be fractional, enough to at least keep me standing.
The pain that hits me as I activate my powers is searing this time. It blinds me, a sort of pain that drives me to my knees. I very nearly black out, somehow managing to shove a tiny fraction of my powers into the sword, and then swinging my arm in a wild arc.
I couldn't see. I could only hope that luck would favour me for just this one time and help me.
And it does. I could laugh, I could cry, but I was only frozen in shock and horror.
My blade manages to catch Erina mid-jump and either the enchanted silver worked spectacularly well, or the fraction of my magic in the sword was enough to power it into Hell-bound levels. In a timespan of maybe a third of a second, the sword has glowed a blinding white. My sword catches against Erina's jaw. The cut would've been deep and painful, but in no way lethal. Hell, she'd have been able to continue with the attack undeterred.
But in the way she's screamed, in the way the explosion of blood paints both her and I, in the way her jaw seems to be *hanging* off her skull, *something* must have been different.
I falter a step back. There was the shock of seeing such power from such a clumsy blow of course, but there was also something else. I feeling in my chest that really had nothing to do with Jin's spell or shock.
It was the same feeling I'd experienced when the power of the Aamon had started manifesting in me for the first time, when I was very close to losing control of the power.
The power of the Aamon was as conscious as any thinking mind and many a time, it could completely overpower me and just go haywire before a strong enough trigger was presented to snap me back to reality. 
The sensation was similar, but it wasn't it.
Something else was coming, something powerful enough to call on to my powers, driving me to my knees as I clutch a hand against my chest. This wasn't the power of the Aamon, but it was similar to it, probably stronger even.
The frightening image of my vision flashes before me. The carnage, the blood, the fear and screams.
Was it coming? 
But Jin was right there, knocked out, and I was right here, powerful spells on my head to stop me from using my powers. There was no way it could come true, not when we were like this, so weak and defenceless.
Erina roars in a combination of anger and pain. She was going wild, squirming and thrashing, looking like a fish floundering out the water. Her Court responds to her screams, directing their attention to the major threat at hand - me.
I don't move, still kneeling against the ground and clutching at my chest, my other hand still grasping Jin's weapon. The Weres are charging at me, some still have the pieces of their victims in their mouth. Their eyes reflect their Alpha's; alight with a frightening rage which would find get pleasure in tearing me apart.
I was *so done* playing Mr Nice Aamon. 
I push myself off the ground, ignoring the familiar throbbing of my chest that hums with the warning of a power that superceded mine, and call my own power forward. The pain from Jin's spell is so constant that it becomes easier to ignore now. He'd been afraid that me using my powers would create a leeway for them to take over me, but I think he was wrong.
It wasn't my power we should have been wary of. It was this - this strange new power pulling at my own, screaming at my instincts and warning of something coming. I had no idea what that something was, but I wanted to be alive to see it. And preferably live through it too.
I stand, steadying myself as I take a step forward. I guess the message has gone across pretty quickly, because a new line of my guards was converging, hurtling themselves against the Weres to stop them heading for me. A new struggle ensues, and the roars and shouts decorate the hall once more.
But they don't stop everyone. Weres in general are known to be extremely powerful beings and those present today were top notch. Some still manage to break through, heading right for me.
The dull ache in my chest is growing increasingly stronger. It is less an ache now than a painful throb, spreading across my body. I am jittery with nerves despite the combination of pain my entire body was in.
The first Were arrives and I force another surge of power down the blade, before I duck, avoiding its paw swipe, and bring the sword up to strike it against its chin. Another explosion of blood and this time, the force of the strike sends the Were sailing.
Another shock of pain. My heart feels like it's about to burst and my mind and body feel like they're on fire. I realise that along with the blood, that I am drenched in sweat. I'm shaking with the effort to stand and I've torn my blazer again. They should probably just make it out of Kevlar next time because I run through clothes like a baby with diarrhea runs through diapers.
The pain goes up to the top of my head and down to my toes. I scream, dropping the sword, just as another Were lunges at me, jaws wide and claws out to strike.
This is it. This is where it all ends. Shortest reign in history.
And then the ground before me bursts open, spewing out a column of fire that basically fries the Were that had been leaping my way. 
Whoa. That wasn't me.
The crevice against the ground doesn't stop - it spreads across the floor, breaking through the marble and exploding left and right with bursts of fire that makes the guests and guards leap out the way to avoid them.
Oh crap. The scene was looking more and more like my vision.
"Jin!" I'd meant to scream his name, shout it out loud as I always do when I face a problem I can't solve on my own. But what comes out is a quiet whisper, the pain driving me down to me knees now. The spell misunderstands where all the power was coming from, and only attacks me, sending nauseating amounts of pain through my body as I fight to keep awake.
This wasn't me. This wasn't my power.
But only I could do all this. Only I could call forth fire from the depths of Hell, only I could move the earth like this. But this wasn't from me. The power was unfamiliar, yet seeing it unleashed… it had to be mine. There was no other way.
Yet who else had power over Hell?
As if *something* had heard my internal turmoil, the fires scream, roaring not unlike Erina as they widen, heighten and kick up the heat. They breach through the ceiling, knocking it out the way as it rains down on us below. The heat of the flames seemed to have multiplied a hundred fold, and the guests were really starting to panic.
"Get them out of here." I don't know who I'm talking to, but I know there are ears listening. There so many surveillance spells on my head, the USA should be my new nickname. "Lead them through the portals. This is not my power."
The full power of my guards converge into the hall, and suddenly the mass hysteria starts. Powerful people with too few enemies are shouting, pushing and shoving others out the way as my guards try to lead everyone to safety without themselves being caught up in the fires of hell and be roasted alive. From the screams of pure pain and terror, I know that some don't make it.
And then the flames that have hit the ceiling spread out, lining themselves against the walls like water until they hit the floor. My guards leading the procession step back. There is further panic as everyone comes to the same conclusion.
We were all trapped like glitter in a snow globe.
"Jin." It is the only thing I manage to gasp out, before I drop to the ground. I didn't think it were even possible, but the pain has escalated, placing every nerve in my body on fire, until it seemed like even the ends of my too long hair was alight with pain.
The spell is raging with whatever power was left in me, and my own power was fighting back with a vengeance. My power was winning - because I was the freaking Aamon, of course - but the spell was still trying its best to knock me senseless.
If I managed to survive this pain, I was going to give Jin a tongue-lashing he'd never forget because his spell was helping no one. In fact, it was backfiring twice as bad as any stupid decision I've ever made. I curl against the floor, swallowing back the urge to scream. I was weak enough. Screaming would only be a waste of any precious energy left.
A new wave of pain hits me. My power had a pretty strong hold on the spell and was instinctively trying to break it. It wouldn't be long before it would break - or maybe I'd just die of the pain before that happened. I hadn't been expecting the new wave however - because I didn't think the pain could get any worse. I scream, and the sound that leaves my mouth is *not* my voice. The spell on me finally breaks, shattering like glass that meets a force too strong. And that force, my own power that had been building inside me to fight it off, is released with the power of a freight train. It spreads in a very visible ripple as it leaves me, the usually unseen power being condensed so much that it gives itself shape and colour. It passes through everyone - another incredible thing, since the power was known to hurt every person in reach, me included. And then it hits the walls of fire trapping us, and I was pretty sure my eyes were deceiving me, because my power was turning the orange fire a startling blue.
I quickly move to stand. The sudden lack of pain has me light-headed and I nearly fall all over again. My power was back. Great, but that also opened the possibility of the vision coming true, and that was most definitely *not* great.
I put a hand out, trying to pull the fires forward, to call them back to hell, or maybe even extinguish them, though in all honesty, fires of Hell were known to be inextinguishable. That dull ache of power returns, and with it, a sense of panic. Whatever was coming has arrived.
The ground before me explodes - and I really do mean *explode*. Pieces of marble, cement, brick and soil are thrown upwards, bits of it wedged against the magnificently tall ceiling. I put my arms up to protect from the falling debris, suddenly feeling someone standing before me. 
"Jin." My arms drop to my side. The injuries on him are gone, him looking perfectly fine - save for his own silver blood painting his face and clothes. I should've been happy to see him, be happy that he was fine, even if I was supposed to be mad at him. But the look on his face basically obliterates any positive emotions I had left.
"Can you fight?" He grips my shoulders, doing a good job of restraining himself to not shake them.
"What?" The look of pure panic on his tense face makes my own resurface. Nothing could get to Jin. There wasn't much someone of his status and power couldn't deal with.
"Can you fight?" He repeats, enunciating each word in case I couldn't hear over the din.
"I - no," I answer. "Wait, yes - I guess."
"I have to get everyone out of here. Can you just hold on a little longer?"
I nod, voice lost in the power of his gaze. Jin disappears again, and I am left floundering.
Whatever was beneath the ground was moving, creating further explosions as the soil was not able to hide such a large mass moving so quickly. It trails like a snake, spewing out the soil, marble and cement, expanding and deepening the crevices already present while creating new ones.
I turn my attention to the walls of fire surrounding us. I call them forward, and they move, but they don't disappear. Instead they turn the circle we are trapped in smaller, responding to my call by shrinking the area. Several guests cast me a glare, taking a few steps back to accommodate the shrinking space. Well maybe *they* should try controlling the fires of Hell.
*Taehyung!* Jin's mental calling jolts me to attention, echoing so loudly I had to wonder if my mind really was as empty as the fans used to say.
*Yes?*
*Can you create an opening?*
*I could try.*
*Quickly.*
I put an arm out once more, concentrating my power as I try to ignore whatever monster was raging beneath the ground. It was still moving, destroying the floor like a child stomping against flat sand. The flames flicker for a moment, but ultimately don't move. 
I tried calling them, focusing on forcing them back to Hell. Nothing moves. Other than the fact that I'd turned the orange flames blue, my power was useless against this type of fire.
This wasn't my fire. I couldn't control something that wasn't mine.
I call my own power forward.
The power of Heaven was not something I was used to handling. For reasons beyond what I could comprehend, Hell responded better to me more than Heaven could. I guess the biggest reason was due to the fact the main ruler of Heaven was God Himself, a being so omnipotent it was said that His creation would go blind setting eyes on His form. The ruler of Hell was nowhere near as powerful as God, since he too was a being of Creation and I guess between God Himself and someone like me, Heaven would prefer the former.
But with the fires of Hell not working with me, I *really* needed the Holy to give me a chance.
*Hell won't respond to me,* I inform Jin.
*What are you planning to do?*
*Pray to God.*
I hope this works. Only a Holy being could go against Hell and win.
I tap into the unfamiliar half of my power. Where Hell has always been a rage of unrestrained power, Heaven has always been a faint hum, a gentle breeze against the whirlwind of my powers. Heaven was always the quiet before the storm.
And then the ground starts shaking violently, the sound this time a deafening roar that distracts me. I press my hands against my ears, losing my balance as I fall to my knees. 
*Taehyung!* Jin was really shouting this time, the panic in his voice audible even telepathically. *Hurry!*
I put my hands together in what I hope looks like a prayer. I've never done this before. I could only pray this works.
The ground starts giving way, a sinkhole has suddenly appeared and was swallowing the ground as if whatever underground base holding the building together has collapsed. I've never seen a crowd part so quickly to accommodate the massive hole.
And the hole was *glowing*.
There had to be some sort of light source below the ground, because the light it gave off was like some sort of stage spotlight, except that was light was accompanied with some more columns of fire that shoot up way past the ceiling, lighting up the night sky like a rising sun.
I start praying. I really had nothing idea how to call on to the powers of Heaven. Since I was always either attacking or being attacked, I'd always taken the offensive, which was Hell. The power of Heaven was known to heal and be calming, but the thing about Heaven was once it went on offense, it seeked to destroy with one swipe. That power, the moment gone unchecked, would do a lot more damage than I'd intend.
'Please help,' I pray, reaching out with my powers as I communicate with *literally* God-knows-what. 'I can't fight this alone.'
And I can't. I *know* I can't -- because I've just glimpsed at something clawing out of the glowing sinkhole. And the claw was the size of my leg.
The panic sets in. The claw was the size of my leg. That would make whatever it was that owned the claw about - I actually take a moment to calculate. I really was going crazy - ten to fifteen stories high. I think I might just faint from fear. I was bad at Math, so maybe if I was lucky, I'd be wrong.
'Please!' I'd heard of humans sometimes praying for months on end before their prayers were granted. I didn't have the luxury of time. 'I need you, God!'
And then the claw reveals itself to be actually part of a *really* long fingernail that is attached to a *really* thick finger that is attached to a *really* large hand. And this hand was pulling itself up the sinkhole, the columns of fire around it almost seeming like they were protecting it.
*It* didn't look like it needed any protection at all.
*Taehyung!*
*I'm trying!* I try to ignore the sense of urgency in Jin's tone. A sense of urgency meant lack of control and lack of control meant lack of plans and as Jin has always said, 'failing to plan means planning to fail.'
The hand pulls itself up even further, revealing a massive arm that is soon joined by another massive arm. They were the size of freight trucks. Pretty soon, we'd be able to see the face behind those arms. I hoped it was at least pretty.
*Taehyung, listen to me.*
Well, I hadn’t been expecting Jin to be talking, least of all now. I don't answer, somehow still staring in stricken wonder at the being coming out the hole. The really muscular arm has slammed itself against the rim of the hole, and the building actually shakes from the force of it.
*Remember what I told you about your prophecy?*
I nod, not sure he could see.
Jin has always drilled the prophecy to me when we were training. It was the role of the Aamon - every Aamon in fact - to stop Lucifer's ascension at least once in his lifetime. The moment one failed was when Doom's Day would come, so the prophecy acted as a pretty darn good motivator for me to keep training harder.
*Only the Aamon shall stop the ascension of Lucifer. Should he fail, God Himself shall descend, bringing at his tail the destruction of Creation.*
And then the second part of it, the one Jin had only just revealed to me, echoes in continuation.
*The smiting of the Fallen Angel by the Aamon shall relinquish Lucifer's hold of Hell, thus ending his reign.*
*What's your point?* I ask.
*There are prerequisites to Lucifer's ascension.*
Oh boy. That did not sound good.
*Which are?*
*Should the Fallen Angel spill blood for the Aamon. Should the Aamon avenge the blood spilt with his first taking of a soul. Should an Angel of Heaven descend.*
*That's only one out of three.* Jin had moved at the last second to defend me. Technically it wasn't what the term 'spilt blood' implied, but literal translations work just as well with vague- prophecies and their terms and conditions.
*Erina is dead,* Jin corrects. *The fire got to her.*
*But that wasn't me!*
*It is still a fire of Hell. It will be in your name despite.*
*And the third?*
*Look up.*
I look up, feeling all the blood drain from my face.
What have I done.
The dark night sky, once aglow with the heat and light from columns of fire from Hell, are in full morning glory. The clouds have parted, and like a scene from a really corny biblical movie, *something* was descending from between the parted clouds and blinding lights.
The quiet hum of power was familiar, though the tranquil calm that was divine intervention was not. It was an Angel.
A freaking *Angel*, who was for once, not a Seraphim out to kill me, or an Archangel coming to force another vision or prophecy in my dreams. It was a real Angel, an Angel who was here to help. Hopefully.
It isn't as large as I'd expected, though a voice in the back of my mind reminds me that an angel in true form wouldn't even fit on Earth itself. One wing would be large enough to fill the entire equator and one flap would --
My brain was having too much fun with this.
But another voice in the back of my mind speaks up. It is the voice of my conscience, never really ever talking to me unless a really, *really* bad disaster was about to happen.
The arrival of the Angel would signify one thing.
The three requisites to Lucifer's ascension have been fulfilled. The Fallen Angel has spilt blood protecting me. I've avenged the spilt blood by taking Erina's soul. And the Holy help I'd called for has come, in the form of an Angel descending. 
And all that meant Lucifer was here.
All three prerequisites have been fulfilled and now the Demon King himself was here to wreak havoc on the Earth, and I had to stop him before God decided I was virtually no help at all and He would descend Himself and smite everything.
Yeah, the coronation was going *really* well, wasn't it.
The Angel breaches through the ceiling, filling up the space. The columns of fire surrounding the ceiling immediately extinguish. It pauses, staring at nothing and everything at once. It is difficult to stare directly at it, because the light that falls from the Heavens follows it, but I could see the human-like shape, the six wings against its back, two covering its face, two covering its feet and two it uses to fly. Just like biblical legend.
*Who is it?*
"Potestas." Jin is suddenly by my side, staring directly at the Heavenly being. I wonder if he could see through all that light. He was once a Heavenly body too, wasn't he?
"Po…tatoes?" He wastes half a second to roll his eyes at me.
"Potestas. Powers. The Warrior of God who maintains order on Earth and keeps Evil in check."
"He's on our side… right?"
"He is on God's side."
That somehow does little to soothe, and I turn my attention to the gaping hole in the middle of the floor. 
The presence of the Angel seems to aggravate the monster inside, and with a very dramatic roar, it ascends. I finally see the face behind the monstrous arms and have to wrap an arm around Jin's to steady myself. 
Nightmare.
It is the first thing that comes to mind as I stare at the monster. Even the guests seem to be as shocked as I felt, and I hear the collective gasps.
Six eyes. Six glowing, red eyes set against what should have been a Michaelangelo-sculpted jaw of perfection. A razor straight nose offset with a mouth that stretched *far* too wide with fangs that were half my height. A shock of white hair that fell to its waist. Wings against its back that if extended would've surely enveloped the whole room in darkness.
It pulls itself up higher.
Six muscular arms, each pair shaped differently. The first pair were human. The second pair were serpentine. The third were claws.
God had really placed all hatred against its form because there was not even an *ounce* of benevolence in this being. If fear, anger, rage, lust, greed, avarice and sloth were all condensed into one form, this would definitely be the form you'd be looking at. The being screamed sin and evil and immorality. 
"Good evening, Daddy."
I tighten my hold on Jin's arm. Daddy. It was such a child-like word coming from a man as serious as Jin that I almost laugh. I bit back the urge because laughter now would only send me into hysterics.
And Lucifer roars, the sound loud enough to shake the very foundations of the building.
*What do we do?*
*YOU have to fight. It is the prophecy.*
Well, damn.
*And if I lose?*
*Doom's Day.*
Damn.
Lucifer pulls himself up to full height, crashing straight through the ceiling. Gasps turn to screams as everyone fights to get out the way. Best I settle this before things got any worse.
"Potestas." I'd almost said potatoes again. But the Angel responds, descending as it avoids Lucifer's claw swipes. It shrinks as it reaches the ground, before landing at my feet.
I falter a few steps back.
The Angel now stands at my height, six wings still intact. The top pair move, readying to reveal its face and I tense. It was said the true face of an angel would scar all mortals. But what was revealed to me was probably not its true face either, because a lady of utmost beauty stares right back at me, face kind and calm.
"Aamon. I am at your calling." And then she turns her gaze to Jin, and a hint of a smile reveals itself, before it disappears again. Maybe non-smiling was an angel thing. "Azazel. It is nice to see you."
"I'm not here to fight you," Jin answers curtly. I hadn't noticed but he's held an arm out before me, as if readying himself to pull me back at the slightest signal.
"As I," she answers. "Today I fight for the Aamon. You?"
Jin is quiet at that. I couldn't blame him.
All things considered, Lucifer was still Jin's father and true master. I wasn't sure if he *could* go against Lucifer's direct command. Then again, he's sworn himself to my Court, so like it or not, he was bound to protect me.
Lucifer moves. With one powerful sweep, he's destroyed all four walls of the building, breaching through perhaps two hundred wards and spells like he's cutting through paper. I duck as the debris starts falling all around us, and find myself buried under Jin and Potestas. I feel the dull thuds of impact that were the pieces of the building falling atop them.
A sigh echoes all around, and I look up just as the two of them get off me. 
It's Lucifer. He's *sighing*, staring up at the night sky in what I could only describe as relief. There is a quiet smile on his face and I realise why the angels don't do it much.
They had Lucifer's smile. I see Jin in that smile and even Hael and Potestas, whom I've just met five minutes ago. If looking in the mirror reminded him of the monster before me, I could understand why Jin loathed himself so much. I didn't agree with it of course, but I understood the logic behind it.
To be reminded of this monster would've drove anyone insane.
"Taehyung," Jin calls me. "You have to fight."
I nod. I would've just left it at that, but Potestas was strangely talkative for an Angel.
"And you, Azazel? Will you not be fighting with us?" It wasn't a question. It was a direct challenge.
Jin finally turns to her, looking her straight in the eye. He barks something in a language I couldn't understand, and Potestas visibly bristles under those words. Her face stays its same blank serenity, but the look in her eyes has changed. And then Jin focuses on me.
"Only Hector and I know the complete exit routes. Have Potestas help you put out the fire and I'll get everyone out of here as quick as I can."
Again, I nod. I couldn't think of anything to say, and even if I could, my shock would render me speechless.
"I'll come back for you."
"Surely." If I wasn't so frozen, I would've reached over and smacked Potestas across . But I don't, because Jin is holding my face between his hands and looking at me with *that* look in his eyes.
"You don't need to stay safe. You trip on air and put yourself in harm's way without even trying." Well, thanks. I usually would've retorted with a sassy comeback, but I hold my tongue. "Just stay alive. Win and stay alive, and any injuries you sustain, I will heal."
Jin's gaze is both harsh and gentle. I don't dare to even look away. "Remember your training. Don't. Die. Do you understand me?"
He waits for me to nod, before he pulls me forward, lips on mine as he transfers a powerful rush of energy into me. I don't even have time to blink before he's separated us. 
And then he disappears, and I stumble forward, nearly tripping on air, just like Jin said I always do. I miss him already.
"I await your command, Aamon."
That snaps me back to attention, as I turn to Potestas. I would've given her a nickname, but any shortened version of her name sounded extremely ridiculous, even for me. Potty? Testa? Tassy?
"Jin says we have to put out the fire."
She squints her eyes momentarily, as if the name was unfamiliar. "Ah. Azazel."
I ignore that. Jin hates the name, and I respected him enough to at least not call him that. Ever.
"Can you do that?"
She nods. "Someone must distract Lucifer enough that his hold on the flames loosens momentarily. The Aamon would then be able to supercede his power and regain control."
"Great," I say. "You distract him."
The look she gives me has 'what the heckkkk' written all over it, but she nods anyway. I wish I had that much faith in me. She extends her wings, suddenly being much larger than she seems, and shoots up into the air. Weapons appear in her hands, a broad sword in her left, a shield in her right. She suddenly grows in size, filling up the room as she charges headlong into the King of Hell. I've never seen anyone look so badass.
Then Lucifer turns his head, looking straight at her and the Cheshire grin on his face somehow destroys the image. 
"A Servant of the Lord," he greets. His voice reminds me of thunder, the way it rumbles in his throat like a really, really potent storm. "I am honoured that He sends someone to greet me."
Potestas doesn't say anything, only drawing her arm back and striking. Lucifer puts his arm up, and the blade catches against a gauntlet he is wearing against his arm. The sound of metal meeting metal reverberates in a painful keening sound that has me putting my hands up against my ears.
"You," Lucifer chuckles, throwing his arm back. The sword catches against Potestas herself, and she is pushed back a small distance. "Are a mere child." He moves surprisingly fast, grabbing her by . "Compared to the power God has bestowed on my shoulders."
Oh crap. Oh crap.
Was he distracted enough? 
I throw an arm out towards the walls of fire. The flames respond more readily to my call this time, and they part.
I physically *feel* Lucifer turn his gaze on me, though I refuse to look at him.
*Get out of here!* I scream to Jin. The crowd moves in one fluid motion, exiting through the only escape I managed to break through.
"The Aamon." What, did he really only just realise that I was in the room?
"Leaving the party so soon?"
I turn to him this time. He really had a face only a mother could love. Or the Lord. I don't know how this works.
"Let them go. They have nothing to do with this."
"Oh?" And Lucifer tilts his head, his wide grin going impossibly wider. "I think they do." He takes one large, purposeful step forward, dragging Potestas along, and the crowd below screams, scrambling to get out the way. "What is a show without its audience?"
And Lucifer extends his other arm, reaching out to the walls of fire. He was trying to supercede my control.
I don't know if Potestas could even hear me in her mind, but I instinctively call out to her.
*Potestas, move!*
And she does, materializing another weapon, this time a spear, out of thin air, and without even blinking, impales Lucifer with it. His hold wavers, and I take a wild mental leap, extinguishing the fires with one powerful sweep.
The crowd moves much quicker this time, spreading out to head towards all available exits, emergency or not.
Lucifer watches it all with amusement in his eyes. He starts laughing, a strange sight with the spear going through him.
"Well," he muses lightly. "You know what they say." And then there is a wild glint in his eyes as he turns to me, and I have a feeling the storm has arrived. "The show must go on."
And in one quick motion, Lucifer has torn Potestas's head right off - clean off her shoulders.
What. The. *Hell*.
There is no explosion of blood, no screaming, no nothing. Just a headless body in one hand and a severed head in another. This was nightmare material for days.
And then a blinding light leaves the now dead body, before it disappears, seeming to bring along the two pieces of Potestas.
"Weak," Lucifer chuckles, flexing his hands as he clenches and unclenches his fists. "You'd think God Himself, in His self-professed All-Knowing glory, would expect something more than that." And he reaches out, pulling the spear out his chest. Again, there is no blood. Yet the hole in his chest stays. He stares at it in amusement. "When God created me, He made me the best of the best. I was made of fire, where all the other angels were made of light. I was His clear favourite."
I swallow the need to interrupt him, straining my neck as I look up at his gigantic form.
"Yet when Man came along, I lost that title. It was so sad. Me, a being of fire, bowing down to a figurine of clay. God should have known I would not have bowed. Yet He drove me out. To eternal damnation." He was starting to get angry. I would've advised him to let it go. After all, that had happened many millennia ago. Someone should tell him holding on to grudges was toxic. "I begged, did you know that?" He turns to me, a sad, sad smile on his frightening face. "I wanted Him to see Man was a mistake. Man destroyed everything they touched, overtaking the Earth like cancer. But the Lord did not see what I saw. For going against Him, he cast me to Hell. Lucifer the favourite became Satan, the embodiment of all Evil. Even my name became spat on."
And then he points the spear, blade directed straight to me.
"So, Aamon, I will kill you, and let God descend to fight me. I'm sure He misses his little favourite." The smile stretches into a grin, and I take a step back. "I spent all eternity trying to claw my way out of Hell. I shall see to it that this Earth will be destroyed, and every single Man along with it."
"You're insane." I can't help myself. Lucifer was truly, truly insane. I guess an eternity in Hell could do that to a person.
And then he laughs, warm, hearty laughter that is an offset to the demon before me.
"You call me insane," he muses. "You have guts. Sad that I'll have to kill you."
And he hurls the spear forward like a javelin. I jump out the way just as it hits the space I stood moments before. The impact makes the floor shake again, and I fall forward. I could've used my power to stop the damn thing halfway, but with the knowledge that I was about to face off with the freaking King of Hell, I needed all the energy I had.
"Your son doesn't see Man that way." I don't know why I was talking. Maybe I could babble myself into thinking up some sort of plan.
"Azazel?" I *despise* how amused he looks. It seemed to be a sort of permanent expression on him. "The luxuries of my throne have never been much fun to him. The Son of Lucifer aims for higher things."
"Like keeping the Earth and Man intact for one thing."
Again, the damned monster laughs. I was starting to get really tired of the sound. "So you assume Azazel is trying to save the world with you? Don't be foolish, young Aamon. The Earth is nothing more than a food source to my children. Nothing nourishes more than a soul, harvested to perfection, ripe for the plucking."
"Jin is not like that!" Whoops. I'd let my temper get the better of me.
The Demon King raises three freaking eyebrows in amusement. "Is that what he calls himself now? Jin?" He leers forward, until I am met with a pretty uncomfortable first class view of his face. "Listen to me, young Aamon. The one you call Jin may reject who he is when around you, but he is still my son. It is in his nature to cause destruction and contaminate the Earth."
"Then you don't know Jin!" I scream, feeling my power bubble up inside me in response to all the rage I was feeling. 
"I don't know Jin? He is my *son*." There it is. The amusement. The laughter. The smile that looks so. Much. Like. Jin's. "I watched him devour his mother. I watched him walk the Earth in search of prey. I watched him eat infants sacrificed in my name. I watched him torture souls and devour them. Yet you tell me that *I don't know my own son?*"
That is ing *it*.
I lunge forward, calling every once of my power I had in me, hurtling the pure energy right against Lucifer's face. It makes a satisfying crunch sound as it hits his face and he staggers back, clutching at his injury. The ground shakes again as he stomps around, trying to regain his balance.
"You know *nothing* about Jin!" I scream, continuing my onslaught. I have no idea where all this power was coming from. I couldn't supercede Lucifer's control over Hell. I'd just lost the only help I'd gotten from Heaven. Another bout of my powers slams into Lucifer again, and he screams in agony.
I don't deny the pleasure I got from hearing his pain.
"Jin has given *everything* he has for me. Everything!" My rage calls instinctively to the flames of Hell I was so used to weilding. The columns of fire all around us actually start to flicker. "His time, his energy. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for him!" The flames start turning blue. They were mine. "He is *nothing* like you. The things he's done for me, for my Court and for the safety of those around him… At least he's *trying* to atone for his past!" The columns of fire start winding around Lucifer, much like snakes that burn everything they touch. "He isn't a monster!"
And Lucifer starts laughing. Despite the smell of his cooking flesh filling the air, despite the obvious pain he was in, he starts *laughing*.
"Naive child!" He laughs, and then screams, because I hit him with another round of power. "He gives you everything because he was the one who *took* everything from you!" Lucifer finally falls, landing against the ground hard enough to set off another earthquake. "Orphan!" He bellows. "Ask him how you got that way!"
"SHUT. UP!"
My control on the power finally falters, and the orange colour washes away the blue of my flames. Lucifer was back in control. He is standing before I can even blink, and in a flash, has the columns of fire I'd wrapped around him head towards me.
I stare, frozen in place as the fire snakes towards me at speeds I never thought possible. I was going to be burnt alive.
"NO!"
Jin is back, arms quickly wrapping around me as I stare at the fire snakes heading our way. They were close enough that it felt like they were burning off my eyebrows. He jumps, dragging me along with him and we land against the ground like ragdolls.
"Concentrate, Taehyung!" We scramble up, and Lucifer's grin stretches impossibly wider.
"My son," he greets. "It's nice to finally see you. I was just telling His Highness right here about you."
"There is *nothing* worthwhile that you can tell him," Jin growls. He is bristling with power, strong enough that I feel the goosebumps against my arms.
"Nothing?" Lucifer muses. "Are you sure?" Another rumble of laughter, loud enough that it echoes straight to my bones. "How about the fact that you killed his parents?"
He's said it so lightly, so unassumingly, as if he was just talking about the weather. I turn to Jin, and I see him stare back at his father with all the hatred a pair of eyes could hold. And it is in the silence, in the way that he doesn't look back at me, in his anger and hatred that I understand.
Lucifer wasn't lying.
I feel my heart stop, feel it fall to the pit of my stomach. My world comes crashing down around me. It was Jin?
It was Jin all along?
"Tell him," Lucifer chuckles. "Tell him how they begged for their lives. Tell him how they pleaded for their sons to be spared. Tell him how you killed them, how you ate their souls!"
Jin roars, a frightening sound against his usually calm exterior. He charges forward, and the human image of Jin I was so used to seeing fizzles out, and what replaces it is his true form, the one he hides.
Jin is suddenly five times his usual height, muscles rippling with power as his wings extend, and he takes flight. He looks just like the demons depicted in ancient texts, with his powerful tail, his jaw extending forward into a snout with fangs that fight for space and the talons that look ready to claw your eyes out.
The roar increases in volume and Lucifer braces himself. Both father and son crash into each other, Jin moving to quickly inflict as much damage he can before Lucifer hits him back.
It seemed like the battle was shaking the earth. Each blow rang against my ears, shook the ground a little more and upped the temperature of the already scalding room.
"Why so angry, my son?" Lucifer laughs, dodging a blow from Jin. "Do I not speak the truth?"
"Enough of your games!" And Jin shouts a spell that lights up the space between them, before the light literally slams into Lucifer, and the King of Hell staggers back.
"MY games?" He makes a simple throwing motion, and Jin is thrown across the length of the room.
"JIN!"
"I have tolerated your own long enough, Azazel. I allowed you to roam the Earth and did as you please. But the time for fun is over. Return to our Kingdom and take your rightful place as my second-in-command, and I shall forgive you for going against me."
"Forgive me?" Jin seethes. "Your words mean nothing to me!"
I don't know where Jin suddenly got a weapon, but he wields the sword in his hand, striking his father across his chest. The wound bleeds; I had no idea Lucifer could do that.
The smile finally drops from Lucifer's face this time, and he takes a step forward. A column of fire erupts under Jin's feet and he is thrown upwards.
"It was prophesied that you joining the Aamon would end my rule should he kill you. Even now, your wish to atone for your past holds true. You want my rule to end, but you want him as Ruler of Hell because you believe he may finally allow beings like us a second chance. I always knew you wanted to die, Azazel, as a form of repentance. But we are Fallen Angels. There is no repentance for the likes of us."
Jin charges again, moving so fast I almost miss him. He is fueled by rage and pain and frustration as he strikes. I see the look in his frightful eyes. A part of him believes his father's words, but another part still wants to try. Lucifer has his arms up this time to protect himself.
"Your anger will get you *nowhere!*" And a powerful blast of energy leaves him, hitting Jin squarely against his front, and he is thrown once more, slamming against the ground hard enough to break the already broken floor. "Join me and kill the Aamon! Let God's destruction punish these worthless creations and let us rule and do as we please, instead of grovel against the ground, finding a path of forgiveness never meant for us!"
"Don't *touch* him!" I had no idea where my sudden bravery was coming from, but I look up at Lucifer as if a person the size of a tiny kitten compared to him, was any real danger.
"You," Lucifer says, and his tone was this time of wonder and slight amazement at my stupidity. "You still defend him even after what I told you he did?"
"What he did in his past is none of my business." I call my power forward again, feeling it heed all too excitedly to my calling. I was preparing to fight, to show off strength that challenged his rule. My power buzzed with anticipation. "All I know about Jin is the person he is now." I lay a hand on the huge spear Lucifer has hurled at me, wedged against the ground, and feel it shrinking to be proportionate to my size. I pull it from the ground with *really* surprising ease. "And the Jin I know now will give his life to protect me. So I'll do the same."
"You are foolish."
"Maybe. But I'd rather be foolish than be a monster like you."
"He is my son. What I am, so is he."
"No," I say, shoving my power into the spear. Two things could inflict heavy damage on the unHoly. The Holy themselves, and the Aamon, tasked to keep all beings in the Afterlife in check. "From what I see, Jin is at least actively trying his best to change. But you. You shall remain a monster until God chooses to smite you. And it is pathetic."
I must have hit some sort of sore spot, because Lucifer finally charges headlong at me, calling on to his power as the snakes of fire charge by his side. I start running towards him, feeling the hum of my power that was all too ready for battle.
Lucifer slams his hand down on me, and I manage to dodge by throwing myself to the side. I land against my back and he hovers above me. I let out a burst of power against his underbelly, hearing him roar in pain as I scamper up. 
The snakes of fire head towards me, five coming at me from five directions. Instead of trying to avoid them, I slam my shields down. They hit with a force that drives me to my knees, but my shields manage to hold. I call to the flames. This was supposed to be *my* fire. Even if Lucifer was the King of Hell, I was Guardian of the Forty Legions of Heaven and Hell. I must have some sort of stronghold too.
And then the orange fire turns a startling blue. I manage a smile. Finally.
I hurl the flames right back at Lucifer, who roars in a combination of pain and anger as he catches fire. But the flames don't last long, and soon Lucifer is lunging at me again.
I scramble to my feet and *run*. I veer right, ducking low just as a massive hand swipes over me. The sheer force of it blows the hair clip straight off, and I feel the full weight of my waist length hair fall against my back.
I let off another blow of power just as Lucifer lets off one of his, and it looks like we stood as equals in that, because the shockwave as both powers hit throws me airborne, and I slam against a large piece of concrete that was once probably part of the ceiling.
I feel a sharp stab of pain and risk a glance down my front to see I was impaled against a rusty metal rod sticking out of the concrete slab. Great.
Adrenaline and shock at least numb the pain considerably, as I push myself off. I feel it grate against my insides, catch against what was probably my ribcage and finally leave the other end.
I'd probably punctured a lung. My heart was still beating just fine though, so maybe I was okay.
I see something move out the rubble a distance away, and Jin, still in true form, shoots out like a bullet, still wielding his sword, straight at Lucifer. 
The spear against my hand was still humming with my power, and the power of the Holy once belonging to Potestas. If I could just get a direct shot.
*Distract him.*
*How?* Surprise, surprise. The mental connection between Jin and I worked just fine even when Jin wasn't in human form.
*Keep him steady.*
Jin doesn't reply, but brings his sword up to strike down on Lucifer, who staggers a step back. Lucifer sends another burst of power to Jin, who is small and quick enough to dodge it. 
I run forward. I had a weak throw, to be quite honest, and the largest distance I could cover with one hurl was about thirty feet. And I needed strength to be able to cause a good enough injury.
But I had my powers, didn't I?
"Keep him steady!"
Jin disappears, suddenly reappearing against his father's back. He strikes down on his back and Lucifer roars, twisting around to swipe a clawed hand at his son. And it catches, the claws digging deep into Jin's chest, and he is thrown to the side.
Perfect. At least I had Jin out of the way.
I hurl the spear forward, directing one last powerful burst of energy behind it to strengthen the throw. And the spear moves like a bullet, cutting through the air in a *really* audible WHOOOOSH, before it plants itself firmly between Lucifer's chest, and impales him straight through.
The King of Hell roars in understandable anger. He starts clawing at his chest and I know why. The combination of powers in the spear was *finally* doing some heavy duty damage on him, and was starting to eat away at his chest.
It was now or never.
I call the fires of Hell forward, and they erupt from the ground once more. I direct them where I want to go, and they snake themselves up Lucifer's form, effectively trapping him where he is.
"NO!" He roars, understanding what I was getting at.
Or more specifically, where.
I make a pulling motion, and the ground at Lucifer's feet gives way. The snakes of fire starts pulling him downwards and Lucifer roars loud enough to shake the earth once more. He claws at the ground as he descends, desperately trying to find a hold. But nothing in his powerful hands catch, and he only proves to make his descent quicker.
"I shall return, Aamon!" He bellows, just as the Earth swallows him. "And I will. Get. Even!"
I'm pretty sure he got that line from some kids show, because it sounded kind of familiar.
And Lucifer is gone, just like that, the columns of fire disappearing with them, and the hole he got swallowed in caves in.
And that was it. He was gone. It was over.
I had won.
Jin lands before me, morphing back to human form as his feet touch the ground. He looks… hesitant.
I could understand.
"Were you ever planning to tell me?"
"No."
I close my eyes. Now that the danger was gone, the pain and exhaustion was starting to creep back on me. My chest was on fire, and so was my broken hand. I felt burns against my palms. I still had so much to do.
I feel someone come closer, feel strong arms wrap around me, and a sharp chin rest against my shoulder.
"It won't change anything, and I understand if you don't choose to accept it." Jin's voice, warm against my ear, soothes any aches and pains. "But I'm sorry." I feel a wetness that wasn't supposed to be there, against my shoulder. "I'm sorry."
My legs finally give way, and I feel myself black out.

I somehow wake up screaming. Delirious and pretty damn confused, I sit up in bed, realizing mid-scream that I was back in my stronghold of a hotel suite. My bedroom door crashes open and seven guards lunge in, weapons at the ready, eyes scanning the room to search for hints of an attacker.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"Nightmare," I pant. And I'm sure I see the relief in about half of them, the other half merely rolling their eyes at me. But one of them, Louis the vampire, comes forward, kneeling at my bedside as the rest of the guards leave.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?" He asks, a warm hand against mine.
"Yes," I nod, pushing the bangs off my eyes. "How long was I out?"
"Two days. The Sovereign came to visit a few hours ago, but you weren't awake. He sends his regards."
"Thank you. Where's Jungkook?"
"He has gone to meet with the Asian Lycan Courts. They wish to discuss the next Alpha."
"With him in tow? Why?"
"Because the Alpha was apparently my mother."
I look up, seeing Jungkook standing by the door. He looks exhausted, my poor child. But then what he says finally hits home and I feel my jaw drop.
"She was -"
Jungkook nods, coming forward as Louis rises. 
"I think you two may require privacy," he explains, leaving and shutting the door behind him.
And Jungkook climbs into bed, unceremoniously crawling between my legs to wrap his arms around my chest in a tight hug.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help you."
"What are you talking about?" I answer, instinctively returning the embrace. 
"It was telecast live," he reminds me. "The cameras were still working despite all the damage and I think everyone has seen the battle with Lucifer at this point on."
"*What?*"
Jungkook doesn't seem to hear the shock in my voice, only nodding along. "They're saying you're pretty powerful. You even managed to supercede an Alpha's command towards their own offspring. They're all pretty impressed. They won't stop sending door gifts."
I latch on to what was important in that paragraph. "Erina was your mother."
And Jungkook nods, tucking his head beneath my chin the way he always does when he actively seeks comfort.
"Eight years ago, she became pregnant when she was seduced by an incubus. She threw away the child, fearing he'd be an abomination. But instead, you found me. And when Erina saw the person I was… I guess she wanted me back."
"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say. I tighten the hug, pulling him closer. "I killed her."
"To be fair, she was trying to kill me," Jungkook jokes. "And you too. And I never saw her as my mother, so… I don't feel any loss. Besides, you didn't kill her. Lucifer's fires did."
Still. I was supposed to be the person in charge of Hell. And I'd failed.
"So why were you needed at the Courts?"
"They had to discuss the new Alpha, I suppose," he mutters. "It should've been me, as the offspring, but since I've already been sworn to your Court -"
"Please don't tell me the whole Asian Lycan Courts are under my Court now."
"…okay. I won't."
"Jungkook!"
And the boy straightens, looking up at me with a massive pout on his lips. "It'll just be temporary. I'm the incumbent, and before they can choose to elect another Alpha, they just need someone to direct them."
"Why not the other Lycan Courts? I know nothing about Weres!"
"Technically, Erina challanged you. And you won. So her whole Court is yours."
"I don't *want* her whole Court. I don't want to answer for all their actions!"
"Well, until they can figure out how to deal with that, won't you please do the Courts a favour and just take them under your wing?" Jungkook has that annoying puppy dog eyes on, which he knows I won't say no to. I glare at him, wanting to give the boy a tongue lashing.
"Fine," I say instead. "Only until they elect another Alpha."
And he grins, looking pretty victorious. 
"What happened during the two days I was out?"
And the smile falters, and Jungkook finally lets go of the hug to sit up at me, looking me in the eye.
"We lost a few people. Around three hundred guards and fifty members of some Courts. All the Heads are alright, but we lost Fenrir."
My heart sinks. Fenrir was one of my personal bodyguards. He was literally the nicest living organism I've ever known.
"I don't think anyone realised the cameras were still running, but they saw everything. They reviewed the tape and… word about Jin spread."
"What did they see in the recording?"
"Audio was gone. They heard nothing. But they saw Jin change… and attack Lucifer head on. They don't know what Jin is exactly, but the word going around is that he is a very powerful warlock able to shapeshift." I see the hesitant look in Jungkook's eyes. I wonder if Jin has told him what happened.
"Jin returned to the infirmary with you. Your heart stopped beating for a few times, because the metal rod that hit you went through your heart. He healed you, and then he told me to look after you. He said he wanted to make things right. And he hasn't returned since."
I stay quiet. Perhaps he interprets that as a signal to continue, because Jungkook doesn't stop talking.
"The Heads converged and actually talked about you. They saw the recording and think you're pretty powerful. And Hector wants a replacement coronation."
That snaps me to attention, as I turn to Jungkook. "A replacement coronation?"
"Yes, well. Technically your coronation got interrupted halfway through, so it doesn't count. And you still haven't greeted all the Courts and danced. It's custom."
I would've said a profanity right then, but Jungkook was underage.
"Tell them no."
Jungkook grins. "I knew you'd say that."
"So what did yoh say to him?"
"I told him to eff off."
My jaw drops and I stare, absolutely appalled. "Jungkook! Language!"
The playful grin turns into a bashful smile. "Sorry, Mama." And then he falls quiet, and any trace of a smile leaves his face. "Jin told me… about what he did. To your mom and dad."
And I feel myself tense at that.
"My birth parents never played a big role in my life. I've always seen you and Jin as mom and dad." Jungkook treads lightly, eyes darting from my face to his hands. "So maybe to me, it wouldn't have mattered if he did kill them. But you're not me… and I'm not you."
I close my eyes, hugging myself around my waist.
"Do you hate him?"
"No." I hadn't realised it until I've said it aloud, but I *don't* hate him. It has never crossed my mind to hate him.
"Will you forgive him… one day?"
"I don't know." And I don't. Because the mental image of how Lucifer described their deaths is ingrained in my mind. Their screams, their begging, their pleas.
And Jin ignored all of them.
A bubble of anger resurfaces, and I forcefully hold it down. I wasn't sure what to feel, but I wasn't going to allow hate to overpower me. I was done hating.
"Jungkook, could you leave for a bit?"
He looks at me, confused. 
"I just… need some time alone. Please."
Jungkook nods, and he quickly leaves, shutting the door behind him.
I open my eyes, and see Jin standing at the foot of my bed. He's wearing the same clothes from the coronation. Dried blood clings to his clothes, and he smells of smoke and fire. Instead of the cold pair of eyes I am used to, Jin's hazel orbs look dead.
"Jin."
I make a move to stand, just as Jin takes a step forward.
And then collapse to his knees.
I kick the covers off me this time, running to him. He is warm to my touch, as I place a hand against his back. Despite the blazer he has on, I easily feel the slick feel of sweat.
"Jin," I call, keeping my voice down to a harsh whisper.
"I'm okay," he rasps.
"Like Hell you are," I growl, throwing his arm over my shoulders. He doesn't make a sound to argue as I drag him to stand and half lead, half pull him to my bed.
I throw him on the bed because he was a *lot* heavier than he seemed. Jin lands on his back, arm thrown over his eyes in a look of complete exhaustion. I quickly get to work, ing his shirt as I push the flaps of blazer to the sides.
He catches my hands, and I feel him trembling slightly. Damn, just what was wrong with him?
"What are you doing?"
"Checking for injuries," I snap, smacking his hands away. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll let me."
"Stop it."
I ignore him, reaching the last button and throwing his shirt open to examine his exposed chest. Slice marks from either talons or swords cover his skin, decorated with the odd burn mark here and there. But they were healing. Even as I watched, the skin and muscles were slowly starting to stitch together.
"What happened?" I ask, looking up at him. His arm is still covering his eyes, so I reach over to push it away. And Jin looks back at me.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" I repeat. "You wouldn't come back to me half dead if it weren't nothing. You went to see Lucifer, didn't you?"
I take his silence as a yes, feeling my anger rise again. For someone who professed to have a hell of a lot of patience, I found myself losing it a lot since becoming Aamon.
"Do you know how stupid that was? You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"My father won't kill me," he murmurs quietly in answer, still holding my gaze. "I'm his favourite son."
"After you swearing yourself to my Court and attacking him? Yeah, sure." I withdraw my hand that was resting on his arm. "Hurry up and kiss me. You need energy to heal, don't you?"
And he suddenly has a pretty painful hold on my wrist and has pulled me forward. I manage to catch myself before I slam against his wounded chest.
"Why?" He growls, face an inch from mine.
I blink blankly. I don't expect that he didn't know the answer. "Because only I can nourish you enough to heal properly?"
He laughs, a humorless, pained chuckle as the hold on my wrist tightens. I wince, but he doesn't let me go.
"How naïve can you get?" He says. "Weren't you listening to Lucifer? I *killed* your parents. Your little brothers. I knew you'd be Aamon. I planned everything, Taehyung. Their deaths, you being taken in by the Hunters Court. I used you for my own selfish gains. And it's because of me that Lucifer has a grudge against you now. How is it that you can act like you know nothing!"
"Because maybe it's better to be naïve than full of hate."
The answer takes Jin offguard, and his hold on my arm loosens enough for me to get out of it and straighten.
"I heard what Lucifer said. You wanted repentance. You wanted it so bad that you were willing to kill for it. But that's not what repentance is about." I feel myself choke up. For some reason, the image of my dying parents keeps replaying in my head. But looking at Jin, knowing how hard, how desperate he was for forgiveness… There was no trace of anger in me. Not anymore. "So I'll show you. Repentance is regret for past sins. It's someone who tries hard to make up for the wrongs they've done. Repentance is about understanding forgiveness. And forgiveness is realising that the love you have in you supercedes all the hate you feel."
I reach forward, tucking a stray lock of hair behind Jin's ear. I feel a few tears fall off my chin.
"So I forgive you." Even as I say those words, my chest constricts in pain. The murderer, the one who killed my family, dashed all hopes of a normal life for me, lay before me, wounded and exposed. If it hadn't been Jin, maybe I would have taken the gun hidden beneath my pillow and shot him point blank. But it was Jin.
My Jin, who's done so much for me, who has taken the worst of injuries to keep me alive and safe, who willingly sacrifices himself time and time again, who despises himself so much he cannot understand why anyone would show him an ounce of care. 
Jin's eyes widen as he looks up at me. The expression is right there, plain as day. Disbelief. If I had a camera with me right then, I would've snapped a photo. He looks so innocent. 
And my heart constricts once more. I was thinking of how innocent the person who killed my family looked. "And if someone like me can forgive you, surely God can too. You've repented enough."
He slowly sits up, never breaking his gaze. A hand reaches out towards me, and it is shaking.
"You're a fool," he whispers. But his eyes are glossy, his gaze kind.
I laugh, and the act makes further tears spill from my eyes. His hand rests again my cheek. It is still warm.
"I am," I say, grinning. "I am a fool. But I'm your fool, so you're just going to have to deal with it, right?"
And he leans forward, finally closing the distance between us to rest his lips against mine. His touch is soft, gentle, as I open up my energy to him. And he moves in the kiss, surprising me when he does, since energy transfers between us were mostly just light touches. 
And I surprise myself when I respond, tilting my head to allow him further access. His cheek feels moist.
Were those his tears or mine?
I feel my energy travel. Jin was feeding, but it was just in light trickles. I feel Jin's other hand rest against my waist, pulling me close. He deepens the kiss, as my chest rests against his.
I wonder where we are going with this.
He pulls me closer as I feel myself fall backwards, landing amongst the pillows. What was wrong with me? I find myself running my hands through his hair, as if I was trying to memorize the feel of it. I still feel my power leak away from me. 
Jin was still feeding, but oh so carefully.
And then I feel him transfer some of his own energy to me, and the crossing of two powerful energy sources leaves me breathless for a moment. The sensation warms me down to my toes, leaving me lightheaded as he parts the kiss and I look up at him in breathless confusion.
He says nothing and I say nothing and for a moment, we are just staring at each other. And then Jin leans forward, pressing his lips against my forehead. His warmth this time is comforting.
But he pushes himself off too soon, turning away from me as he sets his feet against the floor, as if he is about to get up from the bed any moment. But he doesn't move, his gaze far off, and I know he won't.
I lie on my side, curling against him as he rests a hand against the top of my head.
"Jin?" I prompt, when he says nothing.
"They were nice people." I blink, but say nothing, waiting for him to continue. "Your mom and dad."
My face gives nothing away, but I feel my heart rate pick up.
"I never knew them personally, but from what I heard, your mother was a hunter of the Asian Courts. Your father was her superior. And they fell in love. You have your mother's eyes. Your father's nose."
I keep quiet. Jin has revealed more to me about my parents in those few sentences than I've been searching for all my life. 
"She was pregnant with twins - both boys - when I killed her. You were already two years old when I took you away and sent you to the Victor, who took you under his wing. Your father had been a good friend of his. He felt himself responsible to raise you."
"How did you know?" Jin finally turns to look at me. "How did you know I would be Aamon?"
"I didn’t. My father did. He sent me off to kill you."
I frown. That was new piece of information.
"Why didn't you?"
"At the time, I was already a rebel against my father. I did it to spite him. I could have ignored his order, but he would've just sent someone else to kill you. But then I found out about the Prophecy."
"That I would overthrow Lucifer."
"Yes," Jin answers. 
"And that I would kill you."
"…yes. I knew then with certain surety that you needed to live. I went to your home to take you away, but I think Lucifer expected my plan. Beelzebub, my brother, was already there. And we fought."
"What happened?" Heart pumping, nerves running, I look up at Jin, waiting for him to continue.
"He already had a hold on you, and your parents were already fighting him. When I came, they misunderstood my presence and attacked me as well. I couldn't risk the distraction. I killed them to get to you. I managed to defeat my brother, but just barely."
I somehow felt a sense of relief at that. My parents died to protect me. Jin killed them to protect me. At least the intent had been the same. And that meant that Jin *wasn't* a cold blooded killer. He wasn't a killer. He had been forced, due to circumstances. He didn't have a choice. He took the lesser of two evils. "But… why go through all the hassle? You could've just left me and let the Hunter's Court raise me and -"
"Strange as it is, I wanted to see you grow. I wanted to see what the future Aamon would look like. So I hung around for a while. I figured that if you were going to find out I killed your family, it wouldn't matter what I was to you. The need for revenge would have overcome you."
But it didn't, I think to myself.
"You ended up being my bodyguard."
"To make sure you'd at least survive until Lucifer's ascension. That was the original plan. You proved difficult to keep alive."
"The original plan?"
Jin goes quiet then, and he finally takes his hand away. 
"I didn't expect the future Aamon to be so… human."
I blink. I was pretty sure I *wasn't* human. Aamons come from descendants of mages, that I knew pretty well. And my parents had been Hunters, so yeah.
"Compassionate. Empathetic. It was difficult to not let your energy rub off on me. I didn't expect myself to be… by your side so loyally."
I had no idea what those words meant, but I was not really in the mood to ponder.
"Now that we've defeated Lucifer… what will happen?"
"The world will go on as is," Jin answers. "Doom's Day will not come - for now."
"Lucifer will try again?"
"For now, he is weak. He will take a few thousand years to replenish his energies to fight the Aamon again."
"Was that why you went to visit him?"
He nods, and I see his hands tense into fists.
"I wanted to make sure for myself. I somehow didn't expect him to be so angry. He'll need a few days to calm down."
"A few days?" I repeat, raising an eyebrow.
"Favourite son, remember?" Jin smiles at that, though it isn’t directed at me. It looks pained.
"Do you know, Taehyung," he starts, turning to me again. "How I was sired?"
I shake my head. I had a feeling I wouldn’t like the story.
"It is said that Lucifer, as the favourite of God Himself, was created from Holy Fire, while the rest of the Angels were made of Holy Light." I nod. I knew that part of the story. "When Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, he wanted to disprove God's omnipotence by creating a Creation of his own. For several thousand years, he tried and failed. He could not create something out of nothing. So he took a portion of his own soul, a burning fire that does not die no matter the circumstance, and moulded it into his shape."
"Was it you?"
Another painful smile. "It was just a mould. Lucifer needed the Breath of Life to blow a soul into the mould. So he kidnapped an Angel, and forced her to swallow the mould. And despite the chances, the mould grew in her. Much like a human pregnancy. But unlike a human pregnancy, the mould grew to a point where it simply became her. It devoured her, bit by bit, until there was nothing left of her but a shell of an Angel that needed to be broken out of."
I hope my face gave nothing away, because the only thing playing in my head was 'WHAT THE ACTUAL HECKKKKK' as I look up at Jin.
"I was Lucifer's first successful Creation, the one he is proudest of, because no Angel ever fell victim to him again. God took the danger of him seriously after that, bestowing upon the Angels weapons to fight him with. And that's why, no matter what I do, I will *always* be Lucifer's favourite."
The spite he has in his tone showed just how happy he was at that.
"I don't get it," I finally say. "As his favourite, there must've been so much he could have given to you. You could have everything you wanted."
"I did," Jin simply said. "But few millenia of living in riches tends to bore you. And perhaps being born of an Angel has a weird effect on your head. I never liked the way he ruled. I found Lucifer loathsome. His ruthlessness was, at times, not something you could stomach. When Lucifer was in a mood, I'd watch him pull down Angels from Heaven and eat them alive."
I tried to keep the mental image of that out of my head.
"And so I left, going up to Earth. I wasn't bound to Hell the same way he was. It was around two hundred B.C when I came to Earth. I landed in Jerusalem, took the form of the first man I saw, and travelled the globe. And learned much about Lucifer and myself along the way. Enough that I was convinced he had to be stopped."
"What did you learn?"
"That people like us… We are just inherently evil. There is nothing for us but eternal damnation in Hell. And I didn't want to believe that. I wanted to change that. I wanted to change my fate."
"So you met with Ezekiel?" The previous Aamon before me should have still be in rule around that time. Jin nods, but doesn't look particularly happy.
"But Ezekiel was not one to break the status quo. He was a good ruler, but he wasn't a very willing revolutionaire."
"So you waited for the next one." Again, Jin nods. "Why didn't you just kill him?"
"I had no reason to. Time to me, is nothing. While awaiting your birth, I simply… explored. Did everything I pleased." That would explain Jin's seemingly infinite knowledge. "Earth was amazing. People were amazing. Seeing their inventions, their books, their intellect… I was jealous."
"Why would the Prince of Hell be jealous?"
He glances at me, a light smile on his face.
"Because that's all I'll ever be. But these people… they could be whatever they wanted. And they had this amazing thing where they lived for the sake of both themselves, their families and their faith. They wanted to enjoy their time on Earth, but their destination goal, Heaven was never forgotten. They built houses for God, they read his books, and even if they didn't, they held on to morals based on them. And I suppose that was what got to me. Their ability of choice. That they had a chance to revert back to the right path should they deviate. They could sin and sin and sin, and still be forgiven. And I couldn't."
I stay quiet. There wasn't really anything I could say.
"So I decided that I would help the next Aamon take over Hell. Only you didn't want to take over Hell. And you didn't kill me. So all that was for nothing," Jin says. And then he laughs.
I feel my heart constrict. It is the same laugh as always - empty, pained.
"I'm sorry," I find myself saying. It was ridiculous really. I wasn't sorry. I would never kill him. I wasn't planning to take over Hell. But I was sorry he was hurting. "Maybe you can wait for the next Aamon."
Jin says nothing and I don't expect him to.
"So what are you going to do now?"
Jin peers over his shoulder at me.
I realise the weight of my own words as I stare right back. 
That's right. The only reason Jin was even here, the only reason Jin was even by my side was that he'd expected me to overthrow his father. He'd expected me to hate him, to kill him in a probable fit of anger and then defeat Lucifer, commanding his place as the ruler of Hell.
Jin had no reason to stay by my side now. None of his goals had been achieved. I was a mere liability.
The mere idea of him leaving made my stomach knot in nerves. It was always Jin who was by my side, always he who saved my life and looked out for me.
Without him by my side, I would be nothing.
I *was* nothing.
I am only something when Jin is by my side.
And Jin had no reason to stay.
"What do you think I should I do?" he asks instead.
"Stay." I hadn't even been thinking. The answer was almost instinctive. Jin reaches out to me, running his fingers through my hair. He isn't even looking at me.
He is silent, and the silence frightens me even more. 
"I'll just place a bigger bounty on your head."
"I don't care."
"You will be in spectacular danger."
*"Stay."*
He peers at me again, his palm resting against the nape of my neck. It seems to be the only source of warmth I was feeling.
"Please." 
I feel the fear creep its way up my spine. I had already lost Jin once. Leaving our boyband had been probably one of the most painful things I've ever done. The idea of losing the members, whom I saw as more than family, was enough to keep me up for days. And now I was losing Jin all over again.
"Taehyung... It's not that easy." His tone, so gentle and patient, is an offset to the fire I am so used to see from him. Was he trying to break it to me gently? "You're Aamon. I am Azazel. You cannot afford empathy. And you should not afford that to someone like me. You should know that we are fated to be enemies."
"We've been getting along fine before this," I say, knowing how weak my argument sounded.
"Because I... had reason to use you. I needed you to have faith in me and trust me. And I needed the prophecy to come true ."
The hold he has against my neck tightens fractionally.
"I have conspired to use you. To destroy you. Yet you still forgive me. You still open your heart to me. How can you feel anything other than hate and disgust for me?"
I keep my silence as I look up at him. He'd want to get those words off his chest. I know he does. 
He hides it from his face, but I see that he is so angry. The fire in his eyes looks about ready to consume him, yet his touch on me is still so gentle. I know beneath his rage, he's still the same selfless person who'd sacrifice his life for me time and time again.
And it is *so strange* that that side of him is the side he tries to deny the most.
And I see the flame falter, just as he looks away, running a hand through his hair in frustration. 
He is quiet.
"Because I need you."
He freezes at those words. I wasn't sure why my voice had gone whisper soft, but it seemed to reflect the fear and uncertainty I was feeling pretty aptly.
"I know I'm being selfish. I know I'm being weak. I know I'm being stupid. But that's because I don't have you." I reach out for him, hesitant that he might bristle at the contact.
Why was I so afraid of losing him? 
I'd lost countless people before this, and would lose a lot more in my reign as Aamon. But I couldn't lose him. Not now. Not ever.
"Just stay. Stay by my side."
Jin doesn't answer. He doesn't even look at me. I finally rest my hand against the crook of his elbow. 
"Jin."
He closes his eyes, leaning forward - away from me - till his face is hidden by his hair.
"Taehyung -"
"Please... I know I'm nothing to you now. I couldn't fulfil the prophecy...and I couldn't kill you or Lucifer. But -"
"Taehyung, listen to me." At the rate the both of us kept interrupting each other, our conversations would get nowhere. I allow him to talk.
He straightens, looking at me over his shoulder again.
"You are not - and will never be - nothing to me. You are... my best decision."
That makes me pause. 
"If I hadn't found you, I would be nothing but a monster. You have taught me so much about my own humanity and I cannot imagine a life without you."
I push myself to sit up, feeling my chest brush against Jin's arm. He wraps an arm loosely around my waist - whether unwittngly or not, I wasn't sure. But I feel the quiet tingle of electricity at his touch that was a loud sign of either his emotions or mine being agitated.
I could take a probable guess on whose.
"But for your own sake -"
"Don't you dare leave me."
My voice has taken on a rougher edge as I fist my hands against Jin's already ruined lapel. I was done begging.
And the look in Jin's eyes changes again. I've never seen him dance with so many emotions.
This time, he is exasperated, confused. 'Why was I so stubborn?'
"I need you, Jin." It was my turn to be exasperated. "Why can't you see that? Why can't you believe that I *need you by my side*?" The frustration was really getting to me. I could feel myself *crying* and I wasn't even sure why. Jin was still. Here. Damn it. What were these tears for?
Another emotion plays on Jin's face - disbelief. I was crying. For him.
This is embarrassing.
"I have nothing to offer you and you gain nothing by staying but *please stay.* You and Jungkook are all I have. I nearly lost Jungkook in the coronation and I nearly lost you in the battle and if I'd lost either of you then I have *nothing*. Can't see? You're everything I have. You're everything I need. You're everything I *want*. Just stay with me. *Stay* and I -"
My tirade of words is interrupted when Jin suddenly crashes our lips together, pulling me tight against his form. I fall into him, as if we were moulded to fit.
I don't know what this kiss was for. I couldn't feel any trickle of energy between us but I let him pull me in closer, responding to the kiss with equal hunger.
He falls forward, and I feel myself landing against the bed once more. Only this time the warm weight of Jin's weight on mine made me want to stay.
He finally parts the kiss and I look up at him, panting.
He hadn't allowed me the chance to breath, but honestly the kiss made up for the lack of air.
Wait...what?
"Enough."
I blink. Enough what?
"Enough tears. I dislike seeing you cry. Enough."
"Well, sorry," I find myself saying before I could even stop myself. "Let me just *find* the off button on my emotions."
And lo and behold. Miracles do happen. Jin chuckles. It is a cozy sort of laughter, a warmth that extends down to your toes.
And he reaches forward, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
"How are you so persistent?" he muses. "Bur thank you. Thank you for seeing so much in me."
"Does this mean you'll stay?"
A wry smile, as he leans forward, resting his forehead against mine. His eyes are closed and his lashes tickle my cheekbones.
"A fool as wild as you needs a guardian fallen angel to ensure your survival."
"So is that a yes?"
"What does the Aamon say?" he says instead.
"The Aamon says..." It takes me a moment.
Jin has always lectured that I never throw my weight around. If I did, I could command whole Courts at my feet. But that was one thing I hated. I knew what it felt like to be stepped on and used, so I didn't want to emulate the emotion onto others.
But maybe just this once...
"The Aamon commands," I correct myself, "that of Court, Jin stay by his side."
He laughs once more, before the weight against me is suddenly gone.
It takes me a moment to register.
It's gone. Jin is gone. He's done the damn thing Djinns do and disappeared again.
I scramble to sit up.
"JIN?"
So technically, he was staying... right?