CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

I died—I am pretty sure that I died but I keep seeing and hearing things but not from my own body. I am seeing through someone else's eyes, someone who was bounded in iron bands, someone who was entirely clad in black.

I am suddenly screaming, no, this person is screaming as we felt the rush of extreme power flowing back into our veins. The dark throne room was engulfed by blinding lights then it vanished revealing a laughing Thamuz in the middle of the hall, and he was crouched in front of a dead body, my body. 

"I forgot how vulnerable human are." Thamuz laugh once again and added, "Oh, and fools. They are easy to get fooled."

"You killed her," I felt our mouth opening up and Taemin's voice vibrated in the whole room, It was Taemin—I am feeling and seeing through Taemin's body!  "You promised to be fair yet what have you done?!" 

"I planned on killing her all along. Humans don't have a place here in Verboden, they are lowly creatures and they don't deserve all the good things in the world!" 

"You deserve death better than her." Taemin said through gritted teeth, too much magic made our body convulsed and it's drowning the both of us. We need to release it before it exlodes but I could feel that the Night Lord was blinded by too much of pain and anger that he do not realize that his magic reserve is now overflowing. 

"Her death was my key to finally conquer these land. I will be the King and everyone will bow to me and as for the grand dukes, all your powers will be completely mine!"

Thamuz suddenly start weaving something in the air and I felt that there's something familiar of the gesture, then Taemin's memory of the winter solstice fifty years ago came flooding into me, to us. Thamuz—he is attempting to repeat what he'd done, he's trying to steal all the magic that each grand dukes possesses, but before he can even complete the ritual, we break loose from the iron band. 

With the help of both of Taemin's superhuman speed and predatory instincts, we were able to reach the devil Thamuz just in time and blasted midnight shadows on him which made the devil instantly went on his knees. He tried to get up but semi-solid black swirls tighten around his legs which prevented him from moving further. Suddenly, the throne room was filled with a succession of sounds of metals being either destroyed or thrown into the floor.

Click, Clang, Boom, Crash—The iron bands melted, froze, and snapped into halves, and all of the six powerful Grand Dukes of Verboden slowly encircle around the kneeling devil in the middle. I could feel it, the strong and assorted powers lingering in every corners of the room, their eyes were burning with terrifying energy that could shatter the world in an instant.

The Grand Duke of the Night Kingdom finally step in front of the devil and we whispered, "You forget another thing Thamuz, the curse has been lifted." The Lords of Verboden were all waiting, Taemin's five last words became their signal and each of them blasted their magic towards Thamuz.

The throne room instantly became chaotic as the six powerful lords combat with the wicked devil. During the fight, I was able to have a glimpse of a tear-stained Woohyun and he's trying to get my limp body away from all the mess that is currently happening.

He cried when I died. It's too bad that I was too caught up with all the tasks that Thamuz has given me that I never got the chance to see him all those time. Woohyun has scooped my body and led it to safety which we are grateful.

Once that we ensure that my body is away, Taemin went blasting up another dark mist towards Thamuz but the devil has avoided it and collided instead with Chanyeol's firewall as he tried side stepping our attack. Myungsoo came into view and helped the Autumn Lord as he launch several ice spikes towards him but Thamuz blocked it by releasing ancient magic waves which shattered the Winter Lord's ice. 

I have never witnessed the grand dukes work together and it was actually like a live magical performance. Different colored lights keep appearing in every corner of the room—the ground open up, wild fire burns, ice freezes, waves drowns, and light and darkness weaves together to form a deadly attack. But all of these seems not enough because Thamuz is smart enough to either block or avoid it through his own wicked magic. The Grand Dukes might have the most powerful magic but it's no match with Thamuz' knowledge of ancient magic.

I do not know how long all the fighting has lasted but the weariness is already seen from them. They started the battle with terrifying blasts of magic which gradually reduced into weaker ones. But what amazed me was that the Night Lord's attacks never changes, every magic he releases were still as thunderous as before that it almost terrifies me. 

​​​​​​A few moment later, I saw that Thamuz was being cornered by the Grand Dukes of the Summer and Winter Kingdom and he started to scream. He is about to die, we knew that he was about to die. 

"Concede your defeat, Thamuz. You know that you'll die if you still continue battling with the six of us." Myungsoo said as he keep blasting up thick wall of ice towards Thamuz but the devil only laugh. 

"I will never ever yield. Mark my words, grand dukes." What Thamuz said has made the Night Lord's blood boils so he went where the devil remained cornered and prepare to give him his last full blow. But before he could even release it, bright green lights enveloped Thamuz and he vanished. The devil suddenly disappeared and all the grand dukes missed their chance of killing the faerie who has brought sickness to their lands.

"Damn it! How can you let him escape?!!" Chanyeol shouted angrily at Taemin—at us, but the Night Lord paid him no attention as he whip his head towards where my dead body was lying. 

"N-Naeun," he said as he took slow steps towards my body but the Winter Lord has reached it before he does. 

Through Taemin's eyes, I could see that tears startsflowing from Myungsoo's pale face, and he was craddling my cold body. He's crying—my beloved Myungsoo is crying and I wanted to comfort him but I can't. I can't make Taemin's body to move, I'm only in here to speculate. 

"B-Bring her back." Myungsoo said in between sobs. "Bring Naeun back."

"We can't, you kno