Kreo: The Bulgasari

Mythos: Cries of the Kreo

“Any news of him?” Jungkook asked as Seokmin entered their room.

“Nothing.” Seokmin, who had just stepped outside to see if Kyungsoo had returned, shook his head solemnly.

On the night when Kyungsoo and his team went to figure out the source for the rumors, Jungkook, Seokmin and Yuna managed to book two rooms at a nearby in. It was planned that Jungkook and Seokmin would share one room while Jieun and Yuna would share the other room. Yuna was particularly reluctant to share a room with the drunk woman, but since she didn’t come down to their room for help, the boys figured that she had everything under control.

Just then, the two boys heard a knock on their door. Seokmin opened the door and smiled when he saw Yuna standing in front of him.

“Good morning, beautiful!” he exclaimed. He extended his arms for a hug, but Yuna rolled her eyes and entered, closing the door behind her.

“How’s Jieun?” Jungkook asked her.

“She’s still sleeping, but I think she’s going to wake up soon. She was stirring in bed when I was getting ready to come down to meet you guys,” Yuna explained. “I left her a bowl of soup and some hangover medicine next to her bed.”

“Thanks for looking out for her,” Jungkook said. “It must’ve been a pain.”

“I-It was no big deal,” Yuna stuttered, blushing a bit. She sat next to him on his bed. “So what’s the update/“

Seokmin sat down alone on his own bed. “No word from Kyungsoo. I haven’t seen any of his students roaming around. I asked people if they saw someone like Kyungsoo, but it didn’t seem like anyone was aware of seeing him or any of his students>”

“So we’re suspecting that he’s in trouble, right?” Yuna asked.

“That’s an option. Another option is that he found something important and began to chase after it without letting us know,” Seokmin suggested.

“No, he would’ve sent one of his students to us at the very least,” Jungkook pointed out.

“Maybe he needed his entire team?”

“Should we go after him?” Yuna asked.

Jungkook was about to nod, but stopped himself when he remembered that Jieun was still part of the team. He knew that Seokmin and Yuna regarded him much higher than Jieun, and he himself thought to be more respectable than Jieun as well. However, he also knew that it wouldn’t look good if he went off running with Yuna and Seokmin just like before. He couldn’t predict who his enemy would be. Last time he thought that it would be easy to defeat his opponents, but the three ended up getting badly beaten at the underground market. If Jieun hadn’t rescued them in time, the three probably would’ve been sold off.

He let out a sigh, catching the two’s attention. Then, he slowly got up.

“I’ll go wake up Jieun and see her thoughts on this. You two wait here and check if Kyungsoo comes back or anything.”

“I’ll go with you,” Yuna insisted. “I have the key to the room—“

“No, stay with Seokmin,” Jungkook ordered. “I’ll just knock on the door and see if she’s awake or not. It’d be pointless for me to walk in with the key and find her sleeping.”

Yuna pouted and nodded. Jungkook left the room and began walking down the hallways. 

He actually liked the inn he chose to stay overnight. No one was in the hall and everyone was either shut in their rooms or the rooms were empty. The halls were dimly lit, making it easier for people like him to move around without garnering too much attention from others. It was the perfect location for any Academy student to stay for a few nights.

He climbed the stairs and began to walk on the floor above his room. He stopped in front of Jieun’s door and was about to knock until he heard voices inside:

“My head still hurts…”

“I do not understand why you were drinking so much last night.”

Jungkook flinched. He could immediately recognize that the first voice belonged to Jieun and that the tone of the second voice belonged to Hanna. He leaned closer to the door, pressing his ears against the surface. Then, he controlled his breathing, concealing it as much as possible so that they wouldn’t notice his presence.

He heard Jieun laugh. “It’s not like I wanted to drink a lot on purpose. I saw Kyungsoo and everything just felt nostalgic. I was really close to him when I was in the Academy. You know, before I got kicked out and everything.”

“Old friends do not mean that they are your friends today.”

“I know, I know, but hey, if he’s an Instructor, then that means he worked really hard to get that position. So even though he might not consider me to be his friend, I’m pretty proud of him.” There was a short pause. “Speaking of Kyungsoo…I heard that he hasn’t returned?”

Jungkook blinked. How did she know? Did Yuna say something without knowing that Jieun was listening to her?

“I highly advise you to not follow after him. Based on his odd disappearance and his inability to return and report, it seems like we are actually dealing with a Mythos.”

“Which Mythos do you think we’re dealing with?”

“I do not know. I will have to see it for myself to know it.”

“Well, that means we need to go and rescue him.”

“Why help someone who is your enemy?”

“He’s an old friend, Hanna. Besides, if the person is actually using a Mythos for bad, then that’s not a good sign,” Jieun explained. “I’ll get my students and we’ll head out.”

“We do not need them. You only need me.”

“Come on, Hanna.”

“I do not like them. Just a few days ago, Jungkook had asked me about your weaknesses.”

“Oh, that list would go on forever!” Jieun laughed.

“Jieun, I am being serious. Be on your guard. People can be listening…” Hanna’s voice growled.

Jungkook quickly stepped away from the door. He wasn’t sure if Hanna was growling at him, but from the tone of her voice, it seemed like she was aware of his presence.

Seconds later, the door swung open. He looked at Jieun, who pretended to look surprised.

“Oh, Jungkook!” Jieun cried out. “You’re awake!”

“Um, uh, yes…” Jungkook glanced inside the room. He didn’t see Hanna anywhere. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. Yuna left me some stuff to eat and I’m feeling better,” Jieun said. “You know, I was just about to find you guys, but since you’re here, can you let everyone know that they should meet me outside in ten minutes?”

“Ten minutes?”

“Or earlier, too. It’s going to take me a couple of minutes to get ready, so I might be a little late,” Jieun said. She looked at him. “Can you do that for me?”

“…Yes,” he answered. He didn’t want to sound like he had been eavesdropping on her the entire time, so he asked, “Why are you making us gather up so quickly?”

Jieun blinked, then smiled. “Well, it’s what you three have been training for: hunting the Mythos.”

 

* * *

 

“I’m excited. I never thought that we’d be able to find a Mythos so soon,” Seokmin whispered. He was the only one chattering the entire time as the four walked out of town. Everyone could tell how hyped he was and how hard he was trying to compose himself. “Aren’t you guys excited? We’re actually going to encounter a Mythos!”

“Seokmin, shut up,” Yuna snapped. “Someone might hear you.”

“Aw, let the poor boy talk, Yuna,” Jieun cooed. “He’s been training for this for his entire life. It only makes sense for him to be excited.”

“You’re going to risk him blabbering his mouth and letting our enemies know of our presence?” Yuna asked.

“Oh, it’s not going to hurt. If anything, the next batch of enemies can be a good training practice,” Jieun said casually. She smiled when she saw Yuna scowl. “Besides, if they hear us, they’ll probably either let others know or come out and attack us. Either way, we’ll be able to trace them and find Kyungsoo.”

“That’s risky,” Jungkook muttered.

“I totally agree!” Yuna exclaimed. “We should just lay low and—“

Jieun stopped her tracks. The three stopped as well, sensing an upcoming presence. Jieun pursed her lips and closed her eyes. Yuna took out her fan, but Jieun gestured her to hide her weapon. Then, Jieun turned to the bushes.

“You’re Hyunbin, aren’t you? Part of Kyungsoo’s team?” Jieun suddenly said out loud. Her students looked at her, confused. Then, they glanced over her shoulder and noticed that she was staring at a bush seeping blood.

The bush rustled a bit before Hyunbin slowly dragged his body towards them. He was ghostly pale with his mouth bleeding fresh blood. He was holding onto his ribs, supporting his frail body by shifting his weight to one side. In one hand, he was dragging his awfully heavy axe on the ground. He looked at Jieun with eyes of exhaustion before he collapsed in front of her feet.

Seokmin was about to bend down to help him until Jieun pulled him away.

“Wait, this could be a trap,” Jieun said in a warning tone.

“But he’s bleeding to death!” Seokmin cried out.

“What if he’s attached to a bomb?”

“And what if he’s not?” Jungkook countered. “If Hyunbin dies, we are all his witnesses. We can blame you for letting him die when he could be saved.”

Jieun grimaced. “You can’t trust that people are injured just because you see it. You need to keep your guard up.”

“He’s an Academy member,” Jungkook reminded her.

“And if he jumps up and attacks?”

“We can defend him. We’re strong enough.”

Jieun hesitated. When she saw Seokmin’s dying look to help Hyunbin, she let out a sigh.

“Fine,” she murmured. “Take care of him.”

Seokmin dived in and helped Hyunbin lay down on his back. He blew a small whistle, shocked at how bloody and how much bruises and cuts he had all over his body. He first ripped open Hyunbin’s soaking shirt, throwing it to the side before checking to see if he was breathing properly. Seokmin leaned close to Hyunbin’s chest.

“His lungs are filled with liquid,” Seokmin said. “Mostly blood, probably.” Seokmin pulled out a few tools from his bag. “He’s in critical condition, but he can be saved.”

As he continued to nurse Hyunbin, Jieun turned her back on the two and extended her hand.

“The Keeper of the Kreo, summoning: the Gumiho and the Chollima,” Jieun chanted. 

Two balls of white shot out from her hand and landed in front of her. A gust of wind blew in as Junki and Hanna appeared before her, kneeling and lowering their heads with their silky clothes swaying gracefully.

“Kang Hanna the Gumiho, Nine-tailed fox—“

“Lee Junki the Chollima, Thousand-Feet Horse—“

“Reporting for duty,” the two creatures said in unison.

Seokmin gaped at the creatures, growing even more excited. He tried to grab Yuna’s shoulder to shake out his excitement, but Yuna brushed away his hand before he could even touch her. She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to Jungkook, who was unfazed by the creatures’ appearance.

Hanna locked eyes with Jungkook. She glared and growled quietly, causing him to take a step back.

She definitely doesn’t like me, Jungkook thought to himself.

“Hanna, Junki,” Jieun said, snapping her fingers to grab their attention. Hanna looked back at Jieun and lowered her head. “I’m thinking that this is the real deal. You two can sense a Mythos nearby, right?”

“Indeed, it feels like a Mythos is near,” Junki answered. “As a Kreo creature, it is our duty to inform you that we highly recommend leaving this site.”

“Any closer to the Mythos will cause you to lose control of our powers,” Hanna added calmly.

“Wait, leave? We can’t leave,” Jungkook argued. “If there’s a Mythos nearby, we should go and grab it when we have the chance!”

“You dare ask the Keeper of the Kreo to risk her life for the sake of your selfish desires?” Hanna snarled.

“It is dangerous if the Mythos gets too close to each other. If the Keeper of the Kreo were to step any closer to the Mythos, we won’t be bounded to her orders and are free to do as how we like. As Kreo creatures who desire to protect the Keeper of the Kreo, it is only reasonable for us to warn her,” Junki explained. “Of course, if you insist on pursuing the Mythos, then we will oblige.”

“She’s the Instructor of the Academy. She has to fulfill her duties,” Jungkook countered.

“May I make a recommendation?” Hanna asked.

“Go ahead,” Jieun told her.

“I’d advise you to turn away and the leave the Mythos Hunting to these three,” Hanna said, rudely pointing at Jieun’s students with all nine of her tails. Jungkook glared and attempted to draw out his weapon out of anger, but Yuna grabbed onto his hand. 

Jieun let out a deep sigh and shook her head at their childish behavior.

“I wish you’d die, too,” Jungkook murmured under his breath.

“Unfortunately, our creator made us immortal. We just grow very weak to the point where we cannot battle. In the case that happens, we automatically retreat to the Kreo,” Hanna said in a haughty tone.

“So what’s the plan?” Yuna asked.

“Do you know what Mythos we’re dealing with?” Jieun asked.

“No. We cannot sense the exact Mythos,” Junki answered.

“I’m surprised. I thought you guys would be able to sense exactly what we’re facing,” Seokmin said.

“All the Mythos have their individual weaknesses. Take the Mythos of Kreo, for instance: my weakness is that I have no control over my Kreo creatures whatsoever. I have to bond with them in order to make sure that they own’t kill me or anything.” 

Jungkook, Yuna and Seokmin made a mental note in their heads before they resumed thinking of a plan on how to pursue the mission.

“Can he talk?” Yuna asked Seokmin.

“Barely, but I wouldn’t advise you to let him speak,” Seokmin said. “It seems like he had it really rough. Considering that we don’t see Kyungsoo or any of Hyunbin’s teammates makes me think that something happened to them, too.”

Hyunbin opened his eyes. He coughed loudly, grabbing everyone’s attention. Then, he looked at Jieun with heavy eyes.

“Y…You got to help them,” Hyunbin managed to sputter out. He choked on his own blood until Seokmin cleared it up.

“Woah, woah! Hey, man! Don’t talk!” Seokmin ordered.

Hyunbin heavily breathed and grabbed Seokmin’s hand tightly. “They…They have it worse than me.”

“If they have it worst than you, they’re probably almost dead,” Yuna muttered.

Hyunbin coughed, then threw up some more blood. His entire chest was stained with his own blood. He grunted and clawed the grass. His body started twitched and he looked at Seokmin with eyes full of fear. He brought one hand over his chest and wheezed. He widened his eyes and darted his eyes at Jieun:

“Run,” he whispered.

Suddenly, his whole body twitched and he lunged forward, sitting up.

“Hey! Lay down!” Seokmin ordered. He was about to grab Hyunbin’s shoulder, but Hyunbin looked at his hand and let out a hysteric scream. Seokmin, shocked, jerked away his hand.

Jieun’s eyes widened. “Seokmin, watch out!”

She grabbed Seokmin’s collar and pulled him away. Seokmin widened his eyes as a gush of wind blew in front of his face. Everyone blinked and stared at the large silver axe decorated with pale blue gems. The blade was nailed into the ground, right between Seokmin’s two legs. He felt himself pale as he looked at Hyunbin, who gave them a terrified look. He looked at Jieun, who gave him an angry look.

Then, Hyunbin screamed as if he had seen a monster. He pulled his axe back and raised it in the air. Jieun gasped and threw Seokmin to the side, causing him to land in front of Jungkook’s feet. Hyunbin then swung his axe sideways. Jieun bent her toes and leaned far back, barely dodging the axe by a hair. Once Hyunbin twisted his hips and prepared for another attack, Jieun did a quick backflip and looked at Hyunbin with a small glare.

“M-M-Monster!” Hyunbin stammered. He began to breathe heavily. He raised his axe, but Jieun did not move.

“Jieun, watch out—“ Jungkook stopped yelling when he saw Junki standing in front of him with his sword pulled out, ready to deflect. Hanna was standing behind Hyunbin, her long nails poking Hyunbin’s throat.

Hyunbin paled. He shook in fear, then rolled his eyes backwards. His mouth began to foam up and he dropped the axe to the side. He fell backwards, hitting his head and knocking himself unconscious.

Seokmin nervously went over to Hyunbin, then checked his pulse.

“He’s…still alive,” Seokmin reported. “He’s definitely unconscious, though.”

“What the hell was that?” Yuna asked. “I never took him to be the screaming type.”

“It was weird. It’s like something triggered him and he had this outburst or something,” Jungkook murmured.

“What did you do to him?” Yuna asked Jieun. She frowned. “Jieun? Hello?”

They all stared at Jieun. She was still standing still, completely dazed. She looked at Hyunbin, staring him down as if he was some kind of dead rodent on the streets. It was clear that his outcry had some kind of impact on her. 

“Jieun,” Jungkook said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Before he could rest his hand on her, she gasped and snapped out of her tongue. She let out an uneasy laugh.

“I’m okay,” she said. “I’m fine.”

“You didn’t even bother to dodge,” Seokmin pointed out.

“Hanna had it under control,” Jieun insisted. She rubbed her hands. Jungkook could see her fingers trembling. “We’re good. Everything’s okay.”

“So what’s our plan?” Yuna asked. It didn’t seem like she noticed how Jieun was still in the middle of composing herself. 

“Hyunbin’s alive, but if we leave him like this, he’ll definitely die,” Seokmin informed them. “I can stay back and watch over him. You know, make sure that he’s okay and stuff.”

Jieun frowned at the thought of having him stay back. “If it’s going to be like that, then Yuna and Jungkook, you should stay back and protect Seokmin.”

“What?” Yuna glared at her.

“We’re going with you,” Jungkook insisted.

“And leave Seokmin alone? What if Hyunbin wakes up and goes on an outrage again?” Jieun pointed out. “It’s going to be far dangerous when we actually get to the location. I’d rather have Junki and Hanna with me there than you two.”

Jungkook made a fist. “Are we that useless to you? Do you not have any faith in us?”

Hanna responded with a growl. “Do you not understand the situation? It is a Keeper versus Keeper—Mythos versus Mythos. If you get involved and something goes wrong, you can change the faith of humanity or trigger some kind of catastrophic event.”

“I am a Mythos Hunter. I have been trained since a child to take part in this hunt,” Jungkook argued. “If you keep pushing me away like this, then what is my purpose in this Academy? I might as well join the rest of civilization and act as a normal kid!”

Hanna extended her claws, but Jungkook didn’t flinch.

“Hanna, behave,” Jieun warned her. Hanna continued to growl. “Junki.”

Junki nodded. He pulled out his sword and placed it against Hanna’s neck. Hanna’s eyes fell on Junki, glaring at him for trying to get in her way. Her growl softened, but her eyes were still hard and cold.

Jieun examined Jungkook for a few minutes. She could tell that he was serious, that he truly wanted to be involved in the hunt. She glanced over at Yuna and Seokmin. Yuna seemed eager to follow Jungkook’s footsteps while Seokmin seemed more concerned with nursing Hyunbin back to health. Jieun closed her eyes, took a deep breath through her nose, then let out a sigh.

“Fine, I’ll take you two,” Jieun said, pointing at Jungkook and Yuna. “Junki, Hanna. You two stay back.”

The two creatures looked at her with pure shock.

“Keeper of the Kreo, I highly advise against your decision,” Junki said in a stern voice.

“Yes! I completely agree!” Hanna barked.

“You two are in charge of looking over Seokmin and Hyunbin. Protect Seokmin. If Hyunbin ends up acting irrationally like before, neutralize him, but don’t kill him,” Jieun ordered.

“But—“

“Will you obey or disobey?” Jieun asked, raising her voice.

Junki and Hanna flinched. Gritting their teeth, they lowered their heads and closed their eyes.

“We shall obey,” the two said in unison.

“Good.” Jieun turned to Jungkook and Yuna. “You two, follow me closely.”

“Understood!” Jungkook and Yuna exclaimed.

Jieun pulled over her hood. She locked eyes with Hanna, who gave her a stern expression. Jieun only nodded in response and began to sprint ahead. Jungkook and Yuna pulled their hoods over their head and followed her, trailing right behind her. 

Seokmin carefully looked at Hanna’s and Junki’s expression. Junki rested the tip of his sword on the ground and closed his eyes. A gust of wind passed by, but Junki didn’t even waver. He stood tall and still like the trees, listening to anything he could.

Hanna, on the other hand, reluctantly sat down. Her nine fluffy tails raised in the air, swirling and swinging side by side. She continued to grit her teeth and tapped her index finger against her cheek, impatiently waiting for Seokmin to finish curing Seokmin. When she noticed that Seokmin was only staring, she glared at him.

“What the hell are you doing? Fix him up already!” she snapped.

“R-Right!” Seokmin stammered. He quickly focused his attention back to Hyunbin, but soon went back to glancing at the creatures. There was a second of silence until Seokmin began to talk: “By the way, can I ask you guys a few questions? Honestly, I’m such a huge fan of the Mythos and its legends. I would love to hear more information about you! Like, what does it feel to be in the Kreo? Are you guys, like, roommates or something? Who’s the strongest of all the Kreo creatures? What about the smartest? How many of you guys are in the Kreo? Do you guys, like, ever eat? If so, do you guys eat in your human forms or in your animal forms? I don’t think I ever recall seeing you guys have mouths in your object forms, but is that possible…?”

Junki and Hanna quietly listened to Seokmin ramble on bout his excitement about the Mythos of Kreo. Junki opened one eye and looked down at Hanna.

“He is a noisy one, is he not?” Junki asked her.

“Be silent and on guard if you don’t want me to eat your livers, too,” Hanna snapped.

 

* * *

 

An hour later, the three found themselves hiding in the bushes, staring at an abandoned mine shack. A few people wearing red cloth were entering the shack, clearly showing that they belonged to some kind of cult and were attending a meeting of some sort. Jieun began to pant. Her skin turned pale and she gripped her shirt.

“Are you okay?” Yuna asked her. “You haven’t been looking well.”

“The Mythos of Kreo is reacting,” Jieun said. “I’m sensing a great power in the mine shack. We’re getting close to another Mythos.”

“I’ll go find another way in,” Jungkook said.

Jieun grabbed him before he could leave. “No. If anything happened to Kyungsoo or his students, then we don’t have time to go and find another entrance.” She looked ahead. “We have to go from the front.”

“We can’t even disguise ourselves,” Yuna argued. “There’s too many witnesses going inside.”

“There’s no point in disguising ourselves, especially if I’m going in,” Jieun said. “The Keeper will know that I’m entering the shack.” She closed her eyes. “Remain calm. Do not do anything irrational. Stay close behind me. This is the first time I’m encountering a hostile Mythos, so I don’t know what to expect.”

Jungkook pondered on her words for a few seconds. “Wait. You’ve met other Mythos?”

“Let’s go,” she said, completely ignoring him. She started walking out of the bushes and entered the mine shack. Jungkook and Yuna followed closely.

In the shack, there were torches hanging on the walls, lighting up the path for people to follow. Eventually, the cave began to shrink and soon, everyone was following in a single-file line. No one said a word; they all followed in silence.

Soon, the walls expanded into a large room. Everyone was squeezed inside, anticipating on the main event. At the opposite end of the circular room, there was a platform carved from the stones, acting as some kind of stage for someone to stand on. Jieun tried to stand still, but with everyone getting in, she was eventually pushed to the center of the room. Jungkook and Yuna tried to follow after her, but people seemed to be blocking their path.

This is getting a bit rough, Jungkook thought, noticing that people were still pushing him. He grabbed Yuna’s hand so that she wouldn’t get lost. Yuna felt her heart skip a beat and she quickly looked down before staring at Jungkook.

“Stay close,” he whispered.

She turned red, but nodded. She followed his lead and began to shuffle around the crowd while she held his hand. 

Focus on the mission, she told herself, trying to calm herself.

Suddenly, a thunderous clap echoed in the cave. Everyone stood straight and stomped their right foot in response. Then, there was another loud clap. This time, the audience responded with two stomps. Then, the audience repeatedly stomped with their right foot. The drum-like sound echoed in the shack, almost shaking the ground. A man wearing the same robe as the rest stepped on the platform, rising above the rest of the audience. He kept clapping at the same rhythm as the crowd’s stomps, but finally raised his hands above his head for a final clap. With that, the audience stood awfully still and waited for him to remove his hood.

He was a lot younger than Jieun thought he would be. He had a sweet look with large doe-like eyes that sparkled like a diamond. Yet, when Jieun observed his eyes, she noticed that there was a red heart beating in his iris. The boy locked eyes with Jieun, causing her to shudder. Silence filled the room and the man gazed down at the others. He made a tender expression.

“Are we all hurting today?” he asked the crowd. “My name is Park Jihoon, and I am someone who believes that everyone deserves happiness!” He walked around the stage, keeping his eyes on the audience. “Normally, I will immediately take my people and grant them happiness, but today, it seems like it’s a particular day to try something else.”

Jihoon smiled at Jieun. The crowd stepped away, leaving an empty circle around Jieun. Jungkook and Yuna froze.

She became exposed so fast! Yuna thought.

Great. There’s no much room to fight, Jungkook thought.

“Which Keeper are you?” Jihoon asked.

“I’m Lee Jieun, Keeper of the Kreo,” Jieun said. She tilted her head. “And you?”

“Park Jihoon, Keeper of the Sleef,” he answered. “May I ask why you are here? If you would like to talk, it would be best for you to speak to me after the event.”

“I need to take the Mythos of Sleef from you,” Jieun blurted. Jungkook and Yuna both wanted to scream at her. “After that, I’ll be on my way.”

Jihoon continued to keep his smile. “Did I do something wrong? Is there something bad that I did with the Mythos of Sleef?”

“No, but as a member of the Academy, it’s my duty to collect all the Mythos,” Jieun explained. She pointed at him, “and that includes yours, too.”

“Ah, the Academy members. We had someone try to follow us yesterday. My people were so frightened, they went on a rampage and ended up being able to take your people.” Jihoon snapped his fingers.

At that moment, a few guards walked up on the stage, dragging Kyungsoo by his collar. He had his eyes tightly shut and his wrists and ankles were tied up with a shackle. Jieun widened her eyes when she saw Kyungsoo’s miserable state. She could see every bruise and scar decorated all of his body.

“Kyungsoo!” Jieun called him.

“Don’t look in his eyes!” Kyungsoo shouted, recognizing Jieun’s voice. “You’ll end up under his influence!”

Jungkook and Yuna listened to his orders and looked down. They could no longer see what was happening, but used their ears to listen to their conversation carefully.

“Did you like my present? A fear-ticking bomb.” Jihoon’s eyes glowed red.

“What did you do to Hyunbin?” Jieun inquired, keeping her gaze on Jihoon.

“Oh, nothing much. I just noticed that he had a really, really small amount of fear towards you. I only amplified it and set a trigger so that he could have an emotional outburst when he met you,” Jihoon said.

A literal emotional bomb, Jieun thought. “Well, it seems like you didn’t think things through. By the time he arrived, he was badly injured and couldn’t kill me.”

“It wasn’t like I was expecting him to kill you. I just wanted him to scare you a little, that’s all,” Jihoon said.

Jieun extended her hand. “Give me the Mythos of Sleef.”

“Are you going to cause bloodshed? Here? Where there’s so many people…” Jihoon’s eyes glowed. The cult members removed their hoods and stared at Jieun with glowing red eyes. They had two hearts in their iris, beating just like Jihoon’s. “…who despise you for being a rude guest?”

Jieun widened her eyes. She whirled around and barely avoided a random punch. Someone grabbed her ankles, but she managed to kick them away. 

“Yuna! Jungkook! Run!” Jieun ordered loudly.

The two were about to escape, but they noticed two arrows pierced in the ground. Yuna, recognizing the arrows, grabbed Jungkook and pulled him away, falling to the ground. The arrows exploded, shaking the mine shack while creating a bigger opening at the exit. The smoke disappeared and Yuna locked eyes with Jinsol, who was swinging a pair of daggers around her wrist. Yuna looked closely, noticing two heart shapes in Jinsol’s eyes. She turned to the stage, noticing that Eunwoo was standing on top with similar hearts in his eyes. Eunwoo pulled an arrow from his quiver and aimed carefully at Jungkook. Yuna hitched her breath, grabbed Jungkook’s shirt, then pulled him down, avoiding the arrow.

Jinsol growled. “Don’t touch him!”

Jinsol dashed towards Yuna, using her daggers and attempted to stab her. Yuna flinched and backed away, missing the attack by a hair strand. Jinsol glared at Yuna, readying herself to attack again. Her eyes were full of hate, full of disdain for her fellow Academy member.

“Look at that,” Jihoon breathed to Kyungsoo, who was still keeping his eyes shut. “Look at your students. Look at how much hate they have for their fellow classmates.” Jihoon chuckled. “Ah, how awful.”

“Release them from your spell!” Kyungsoo demanded.

“A spell?” Jihoon laughed. “Oh, that’s cute. A spell. You think that this is some kind of magic trick, huh?” Jihoon turned to Eunwoo. “Eunwoo, why don’t you shoot Jungkook with the poisonous one?”

Eunwoo looked at him, the hearts in his eyes beating. “Don’t tell me what to do. I’ll shoot him the way I want.”

Jihoon smiled. “Okay, okay. Just focus on how much you hate him. Well, I guess you don’t need to because I’m blinding you with hatred.”

Eunwoo ignored him and grabbed another arrow. He aimed at Jungkook and released the arrow. Jungkook managed to cut the arrow in half with his sword before it got any closer to him. Jungkook glared.

Cha Eunwoo. Excellent with far-ranged attacks. As long as he’s focused, he can shoot his arrow accurately from far locations. Jungkook glanced briefly at Jinsol. Jo Jinsol. Aggressive with close-ranged combat. Yuna’s going to have a hard time dealing with her because she can’t do anything close-ranged except for defending herself with her fan.

Jungkook glanced at the crowd. He could see people flying out from the crowd or diving in, keen on grabbing ahold of Jieun’s Mythos. It seemed like people were only focused on getting Jieun rather than the rest. 

If it’s only these two, then it’ll be manageable for us to deal with them if we go outside, Jungkook thought. However, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to sneak out the only exit as long as Eunwoo stood on the stage. He narrowed his eyes. So I guess I’ll have to run in.

“Yuna! I’m going in!” Jungkook alerted her.

“Wha—“ Before Yuna could say anything, Jinsol let out a battle cry and jumped towards her. Yuna gritted her teeth and defended herself with her iron fan, blocking Jinsol’s daggers from piercing her stomach. 

“You think you’re all that, don’t you?” Jinsol snapped.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yuna responded, barely managing a laugh.

“I hate you. I hate you so much! I hate how you’re always one step above me and I hate the way you touch Jungkook!” Jinsol murmured.

“Yeah? I guess our feelings are mutual,” Yuna said. She smirked. “Except for being a higher rank tan you and how I stay next to Jungkook. I love being better than you and standing by his side.”

Jinsol roared in anger. She attempted to kick Yuna, but Yuna jumped away to create some distance. She pulled out two throwing knives from her fan and aimed it at Jinsol, who kept charging towards her.

While Yuna was busy dealing with Jinsol, Jungkook was struggling to get through the crowd and avoiding Eunwoo’s arrows. Both were careful not to harm the civilians to severely, but if they wanted to get anything done, they were going to have to injure the cult members.

A random member accidentally grabbed ahold of Jungkook’s ankle. Jungkook tripped over a few people on the ground and fell. Eunwoo took the opportunity to aim an arrow meant to paralyze the victims. He fired his weapon at him, knowing well that it would hit his spine which would leave him immobilize.

Jungkook was about to brace for the pain, but Jieun stood in front of him and caught the arrow with her bare hand. Jieun hissed as the friction of the arrow burned her skin. She looked at her hand and frowned. She had grabbed the arrow near the head, but noticed that she was starting to feel the effects of its paralyzation.

“Jieun!” Jungkook shouted. He ran towards her, but Jieun stopped him.

“Get Eunwoo while you can!” Jieun ordered. “I’m fine!”

He clenched his fist. With a quick nod, he got back on his feet and started to run towards the stage. Eunwoo was slowly stepping back, trying to leave some distance between him and Jungkook.

As Jungkook went to stop Eunwoo, Jieun could feel people swarming around her. Her heart raced as she looked into everyone’s cold and furious gaze. She suddenly felt uneasy breathing and recalled an old memory. She began to hyperventilate and gripped her shirt on her chest, staring at everyone’s eyes as they circled around her.

“Monster…”

“A beautiful girl…”

“We can sell her…”

“A little wimp…”

Were the people around her saying that, or were those familiar words from her memory? Jieun tried to move, but she remembered that she was becoming paralyzed. She was suddenly left vulnerable. They could do anything to her right now. They could kill her, rip her apart—they could do so much with her. 

She was becoming useless. Was she breathing? Could she breathe? Was she allowed to breathe?

People were staring at her. Why were they staring? What did she do? What were they looking? Why were they looking?

Hands. So many hands. So many hands were reaching out for her.

Jieun shut her eyes. Hurry up! Hurry up!

What was taking so long? Had it been only seconds? She weakly glanced over at Jungkook, noticing that he didn’t make it very far. Was the paralyzing poison slowing down her sense of time? Or was everything just slow around her?

She tried to get up, but her body was glued to the ground. She tried breathing again.

No, she was breathing. She felt stuck, glued. When was the last time she felt like this?

That’s right, Jieun thought, shutting her eyes. This is how I summoned Hanna.

Jieun felt a hand grab her arm. She shuddered and wanted to scream, but nothing was coming out. Another hand grabbed her leg. Jieun turned deadly pale. She could feel her heart race—or at least, she thought her heart was racing. She couldn’t scream, she couldn’t move—she couldn’t do anything.

No… Stop… Stop! Jieun wanted to scream. Her vision began to blur. Had it only been another second? Why did everything feel so long? Eunwoo wasn’t even close to reaching for his next arrow and Jungkook was still only a few inches away from her. Jieun shut her eyes tightly, barely able to breathe.

 

* * *

 

“By the way, how were you guys created?” Seokmin asked Hanna and Junki, who were walking in front of him.

After he had finished nursing Hyunbin, they agreed that it would be best to tie him to a tree and leave him to save the rest of s. Junki had quickly found a rope from somewhere nearby and Hanna was eager to lead them to where Jieun had gone off.

“I was not created by the current Keeper of the Kreo,” Junki informed him. “I was created by the Keeper before her.” Junki’s face grew dark. “My Keeper never used me. The second I was created, I was abandoned and left in the hands of Jieun.”

Seokmin blinked his eyes. “Wait. So does that mean Jieun knows who the Keeper of Kreo was before her?”

“Jieun does not know much of our history. She only knows Hanna’s best because she created Hanna,” Junki told him.

“Then how were you created?” Seokmin asked Hanna.

“That is none of your business,” Hanna responded coldly.

“Aw, come on! I thought we were being friends,” Seokmin complained.

“Us Kreo creatures do not need friends.”

“Okay, but I’m Jieun’s friend, and I think I deserve to know,” Seokmin argued.

“You are clearly not her friend.”

“Says who?”

“You should tell the boy to keep him quiet,” Junki advised.

“And you should remain silent as well,” Hanna snapped. “Make haste. I do not want Jieun to be in any danger.”

“If she is searching for the other Mythos, then being in danger is inevitable,” Junki argued.

“Is there’s something that you’re worried about? You’re walking awfully fast,” Seokmin added.

Hanna glared at him with her glowing blue eyes. She extended her claws and growled at him like a dog.

“I said be silent!” she hollered. She attempted to harm him, but Junki jumped, deflecting her claws with his sword. He frowned at her.

“Behave!” Junki yelled at her.

“We have to hurry before anything happens to Jieun!” Hanna shouted.

“I understand your worries, but this is not the way to behave. Although he is someone we both do not like, he is important to the Keeper of the Kreo,” Junki said.

“W-What are we so worried about?” Seokmin stammered, unsure of what to do.

Hanna snarled and continued to storm off. Junki pursed his lips before looking away.

“She is trying to get to Jieun before she reacts again,” Junki vaguely explained.

“Reacts?” Seokmin repeated.

Junki narrowed his eyes. “The current Keeper of the Kreo has gone through many hardships. If she ends up feeling vulnerable and hopeless, she reacts and breaks down.”

Seokmin rubbed his chin. “Kind of like PTSD? Like a severe psychological reaction?”

“It is important for the Keeper of the Kreo to remain calm at all times, to remain control of herself. The Kreo creatures are always fighting to come out of the Kreo. If she ends up weakening her state of mind and body, the Kreo creatures will do as they please, especially the ones she did not tame.”

“Tame?” 

“Kreo creatures have free will. As long as they can get out of the Kreo, they are free to do whatever they want. Only those who swear their loyalty to her will be somewhat restricted.”

Seokmin recalled the moment from their training. He remembered how Jungkook told them about the creatures’ weaknesses, how Hanna wasn’t able to attack Jungkook because she disobeyed Jieun’s orders and tried to attack him.

“So you guys are worried that she’s going to summon something?” Seokmin asked.

“I suppose Hanna is more worried about it. I do not blame her. After all, Jieun created Hanna, so Hanna would know best how dangerous the situation would be.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Hanna is an embodiment of Jieun. She was created when Jieun was in her most vulnerable state. Hanna may be violent and ill-tempered, but she has seen Jieun in her worse state and decided to protect her.” Junki sighed. “For Hanna, her greatest worry is leaving Jieun in a state of despair. She desires to kill those who hurt her.”

Seokmin blinked. “Then what about you?”

“Me?” Junki’s facial expression grew dark. “What about me?”

“Do you desire to protect Jieun, too?” Seokmin asked.

Junki looked down at him dauntingly. Seokmin paled and shuddered. Junki remained awfully quiet and looked ahead.

“I desire nothing.”

He walked ahead, leaving Seokmin silent, unsure of how to respond or continue the conversation. This time, he followed the creatures in silence, anticipating on arriving to their destination soon.

 

* * *

 

Jieun let out a hysteric scream, alarming everyone in the room. The angry audience felt their anger diminish as they noticed a brilliant yellow light glowing around her chest. They backed away, their feelings of anger replaced by fear. Jihoon’s eyes shot wide open. His body began to twitch and the hearts in his eyes began to beat faster. He hitched his breath and clenched his chest, grabbing it and almost scraping this skin through his clothes.

“My heart…is pounding!” Jihoon grunted. He looked around, noticing that people were trying to snap out of his influence. Kyungsoo, sensing that the atmosphere had changed, finally opened his eyes. Jihoon groaned and tried to crawl off the stage, but Kyungsoo took advantage of the situation and grabbed Jihoon’s collar. Then, Kyungsoo ripped out a piece of a cloth from his shirt and tied it around Jihoon’s head, covering his eyes.

Those who were affected by the Mythos of Sleef regained control of their emotions. The two hearts in their iris disappeared. Fearing for their lives, everyone began to run out of the mine shack, confused.

Eunwoo dropped his bow and Jinsol stopped herself from attacking Yuna. The two groaned, gripping their chest, feeling a burning sensation around their hearts.

Jinsol blinked. “Yuna?”

Yuna panted, then kicked Jinsol in the stomach. Jinsol groaned and bent forward, hugging her stomach.

“Finally,” Yuna muttered.

“What the hell? What was that for?” Jinsol cried out.

“Jinsol!” Kyungsoo shouted. “We got the guy! Let’s get out of here!”

The ground started shaking. Everyone was quick to get back on their feet. They dashed out of the mine shack, avoiding the rubbles. Jungkook was about to leave until he saw Jieun still laying down on the ground. He quickly rushed over to her side and tried to pick her up, but Jieun snapped at him and growled. He stepped back and saw Jieun’s eyes flashing yellow, her black pupils transforming into a beastly eye. 

“Jungkook!” Yuna yelled, running back when she noticed that he wasn’t following. She glared at him. “Let’s go!”

Jungkook looked at Yuna, then looked at Jieun. Then, Jieun’s chest began to glow a faint, murky yellow. 

Is this…the Kreo reacting? Jungkook wondered.

“Le…ave,” Jieun managed to utter out. She began to hyperventilate. “Get out…!”

“Get ahold of yourself!” Jungkook ordered.

Jieun’s vision began to blur. At this point, she could no longer think. She continued to panic, feeling anxious about her situation. Where was she? What was her name? Who was she? Questions after questions arose, doubting her identity.

“Go away!” Jieun screamed. “Go away, go away, go away!”

Before Jungkook could get any closer to her, the yellow glow around her chest beamed into a brilliant shade of gold. Jungkook squinted his eyes and covered his vision with his arms. Yuna grabbed ahold of Jungkook’s shirt and pulled him to the exit. The two began to run out, joining Kyungsoo and his teammates.

Seokmin, Hanna and Junki arrived shortly. When Hanna didn’t see Jieun, she glared and stormed up to Jungkook. She grabbed him by his shirt and growled.

“Where is she?” Hanna snapped.

“Let go of him! She’s inside!” Yuna demanded.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from the shack where Jieun was supposed to be. Hanna and Junki both widened their eyes.

“No,” Hanna whispered. She snapped out of her thoughts and whirled her head at Junki. “Get her!”

Junki grimaced and dashed inside at an incredible speed. This surprised Kyungsoo and his teammates, but Jungkook, Yuna and Seokmin remained silent. The light disappeared and there was a moment of silence. Hanna curled her fingers, biting her tongue, praying for the best.

At that moment, Junki started running out from the cave. He had Jieun in his hands. She seemed completely exhausted and worn out. They were about to step closer to her until Junki yelled:

“Get out of the way!”

As soon as Junki’s foot landed outside of the shack, large iron spikes shot out from the cave. Junki whirled around and deflected an iron spike with his sword before falling back. The rest jumped out of the way, barely missing the spikes.

Hanna jumped next to Junki. Her eyes shined blue and she had her claws out, her nine tails sticking out in alert. Junki closed his eyes and opened them. His eyes shined similarly to Hanna’s, only his iris was colored purple. The two were serious, ready to fight an incoming enemy. Jungkook readied his stance, but Hanna extended her hand.

“Don’t,” she stated dangerously. “This isn’t a match you can fight.”

Jungkook frowned, confused. Then, he felt the ground shake a little. He looked up back at the mine shack.

A lone figure slowly appeared from the flames. Hanna and Junki flinched. Carrying Jieun over one shoulder, he extended his sword with his other hand and pointed at the incoming enemy. Hanna growled and readied her stance.

They could feel the earth shake with every step. Soon, they saw the stranger drag his large iron sword on the ground. The sword had a wide blade, almost the size of a melon’s width. The blade was engraved with coal and gray lines. At the end of the handle, a red tassel hung loose from the weapon, swinging side to side in a slow motion. His weapon was twice the size compared to Junki’s thin and nimble sword. Although it was dark, they could make out his chiseled features and his large nose bridge. His eyes flickered wildly, shining like the silver irons. He wore a traditional black iron armor and had rough brown hair with ashes decorating his tips. He shook his head, brushing off the ashes, regaining more strength.

“Lee Minho, the Bulgasari: Iron-eating Monster,” the man said in a deep thunderous voice. Then, he broke into a wicked smile. “Who’s ready for destruction?”

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500sunny500
"Mythos: Cries of the Kreo" is also getting translated into Russian by mishaHell, which you can access here (thank you so much for translating!): https://ficbook.net/readfic/11367870 (2/2)

Comments

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Squishysoo_12
#1
I want to read this but im scared since its been so long it was updated. Ive been craving for kooku fics after jungkook attended IU concert.anyway i will still read this and let my imagination to whats going to happend next. 💜💜
ejeura_ #2
Chapter 22: I made an account just now to be able to thank you author-nim on updating this! I really love the story so far. I wish you well!
jieunjeon
#3
Chapter 21: Awww thanks for the update, Author-nim! I’ve missed you!
Maedas
#4
Chapter 21: Thank you for your update author nim
kookieu97 #5
Chapter 20: This is ligit
miszapril
#6
Chapter 20: Haaaa author nim please continue this story bcs this is hella good 😭😭🥺
MayeQueen
#7
Chapter 20: I read this chapter as soon as it got out but i never got a chance to comment in it so i’m doing it now! This storyline really interests you in a way where you want to know the pst and what will happen in the future. I really liked the addition of Haetae being a kreo that has his own will but does not act rashly as the bulgasari. I really am in love with this story author. We will support you all the way!
MayeQueen
#8
Chapter 20: I read this chapter as soon as it got out but i never got a chance to comment in it so i’m doing it now! This storyline really interests you in a way where you want to know the pst and what will happen in the future. I really liked the addition of Haetae being a kreo that has his own will but does not act rashly as the bulgasari. I really am in love with this story author. We will support you all the way!
Maedas
#9
Chapter 20: Jungkook is definitely have a feeling for jieun hahaha cute. I wonder if jieun knows about it. Btw thanks for the update
MayeQueen
#10
Chapter 19: I really really really love this!! I’ve been so busy and been starting to get depressed with whatever is happening in my life and reading this just makes me feel better. Thank you so much for this, this story is really good!!! I really like the kreo creatures you choose and their own personalities that you gave them. I am really interested on how jieun will handle the kreo creatures and tame them and what other creatures there are. Thank you again for this!!!