"Oh Seung-Wan" Blink's was voice scarcely audible, she too just like Sehun was gazing at the wings, however the expression she wore was a little different from Sehun's. "Those wings–" she trailed off, alarmed? Horror? Or probably a mixture of both etched on her face. Sehun understood why his mom was shocked. Seung-Wan shouldn't have wings, because she didn't have a Griff. He had taken it away. But somehow she had cultivated them. They weren't natural, it was why they appeared sickly, he realized. Seung-Wan stretched the wings, her figure glitching and the next second, the woman was replaced by an animal Sehun had never seen before, not in Varal nor his original world. It appeared to be a cross between a bear, a lion and a bird.  The creature didn't have a bird head that would make it more like an actual Griff. Though the eyes were that of a bird, but the whole head was more like a bear's, with a longer muzzle that might as well belong to a wolf and two horns that looked like a ram's. Half of its body was bear's, while the rest of the body resembled a lion's. It was as black and sickly looking as the wings on its sides. Blink gasped, her body shivering visibly. "You, you what have done? Ah merciful High Mother–" she couldn't seem to find the right words to describe her horror. The horror Sehun still didn't understand why it gripped her so tight.  Seung-Wan looked up at their mom like she was performing a magic trick, miraculous and unexplainable. "My new form. It took me several trials to finally achieve it." Her shift seemed to be like Sehun's because she was human again. However, those damned wings were still on display. The bear/lion appearance didn't bother Sehun as much as those wings did. Because he understood what they meant. Whether or not Sehun liked it, whether or not he was ready to accept it, he was destined to take a stand against his sister if he wished to save Varal. Now he finally understood when the goddesses said he was Varal's savior. He must vanquish his sister to achieve it, and he wasn't certain it wouldn't result in the death of one of them. It was clear his sister wouldn't go down easily, without a dark, ugly battle. This was unfair no matter how he looked at it. Sehun didn't want to fight her. What he wanted was to have the normal life of any ordinary sibling. He wanted to hug her when she needed one, and have family dinners with the Lans, the Kims, and Blink too with a smile on their faces. Share brunch with her while they talked about nothing in particular, just to spend some time together as siblings. Hide in her rooms when he wished to get away from court and she would indulge him for however long he desired. He wanted to see her laugh at the stupidest thing he did. Wanted to see her and Irene get along, ganging up on him just because he was the only male among the three siblings. Watch her teach Aurora and Jae all there was to learn from an aunt while Irene competes against her to win the award for the best aunt of the year. Watch her conflicted over which child to take on horse rides, or whose side to take when the little twins fought. Wanted to see her give Kai a piece of her mind when the emperor made Sehun sad, and would smack Sehun, and scold him when he was the one to hurt Kai. Sehun wanted a lot of things with Seung-Wan, and he could almost picture them in his mind's eye. Knowing he couldn't have any of those made him want to start pointing fingers. Desperately. However he didn't even know whom to blame right now, he was so drained, yet the anger in him raged like burning flames. Why did it have to be Seung-Wan? Why couldn't the fates choose someone who would be easier on Sehun mentality? Someone he had no connection to other than being the bad and good guys? He was angry at his biological father, for not putting an end to whatever was going on when he could have lessened her condition by choosing to raise them with love and show Seung-Wan the difference between right and wrong. Angry at his both birth parents for even bringing Sehun and Seung-Wan into the world, angry that they had to be born twins in a world like theirs. Angry at those damned prophecies that had drawn a line between him and his sister. Angry at his sister for not fighting it, for wanting it even. Angry at his beast for choosing Sehun instead of Seung-Wan. If Sehun were the one born callous, he probably might forced himself to feel even a little, fight to control whatever was going on in his head. More than anything he was angry at himself for being powerless to right it all, angry at the situation in whole. "He will reveal us, when he comes, he will scrub the flesh of both worlds clean and show us who we are. But he can't arrive without an invitation. He can't come here without my welcome."She was mumbling nonsensically, that it was hard for Sehun's brain to keep up or make sense of it. His eyes were on the wings like watching them would make them unreal.  "Do you have an idea what you've done?" Blink asked, scrubbing a hand down her face. "What? Because I happen to obtain a form similar to his?" She had an enthusiasm, one had when talking about their idol while she waved a hand as though to dismiss Blink. "You have no idea how much I admire him so of course I will want to be like him. It wasn't easy but I managed it" She began counting with her fingers. "Without my brother's Fenigriff, it took a hundred and twenty-five souls to get a Griff." "No," Blink said, shaking her head. "You are no Griff. You're a freak of nature. You shouldn't exist."  Sehun finally understood. Seung-Wan had purposely made her other form to be just like the demigod's she seem to worship. For the life of him, Sehun couldn't comprehend why his sister would adore someone as cruel as that. "In case you've missed it, it has been a while now since your opinion matters no more to me II-hwa," Seung-Wan told Blink with finality. Blink shut her eyes taking deep breaths most likely to control herself from doing something she might regret later. She didn't say more, only retreating to the back where a chair was to sit, bracing both hands on her lap, with her head lowered. There was no getting through Seung-Wan. Was what Blink's demeanor said. Taking the hint, the mother-daughter conversation was finally over, Seung-Wan turned her attention to Sehun. "Back to you." She said. "Where were we? Ah as I said earlier I don't need you no more. I have a better option. This little guy would do just fine considering his Fenigriff is still in manifestation." She pointed at the bundle in her arm. But safe. He reminded himself. She meant for Sehun to watch his barely two-week-old son die? Renew anger washed over him that it was almost hard to control, but knowing anger wouldn't solve any of his problems, Sehun forced it back, schooling his expression as well as hardening his heart. "Are you ready going to do this?" Sehun asked, looking her in the eye. He was going to give her one more chance. She looked at him as if he were a species she was seeing for the first time that she could not understand. Throwing her head back she said."You have no idea how hard I tried to get us to this point. So of course I am doing it" She brought her head down, those unnatural wings fluttering."You can't get back time once is gone. Nevertheless, I thank you, if you'd never done what you did 20 years ago I'd probably never be the woman I am today. So yeah a part of me will forever be grateful for giving me the push." She shrugged, eyes going around the hall to every person. "And look at you Sehun, you built such a beautiful life filled with love and family. I never got that chance. Collateral damage, chaos death. This is your legacy, I'll be your legacy." Turning slightly, Sehun allowed his gaze to his family and friends. The guardians were still on alert hands ever ready on their weapons, probably waiting for Sehun's order or waiting for an opening to attack. His fathers stood next to Heechul and the Byuns. All their attention on Seung-Wan.  Kai had both his hands crossed over his chest, leaning against a nearby pillar, his expression neural. It was like he was waiting patiently for something. Tilting his head, Sehun observed his husband for another minute or so. Kai was waiting for Sehun to sort it out with his sister. He realized.  Zia and Lyla were stood by his sides, postures ready to attack as Zach paced between them. A little farther away were Kai's shadow guards, patrolling the room as if searching for a hidden danger. Rue had picked herself from the floor, a hand on her belly as her eyes gazed distantly at nothing, while her fellow flower guards stood next to her, with worried expressions on their faces. Sehun wasn't certain whether their concerns were for his captured son or their captain. To the far end was Blink, sat where she had retired to, her posture unchanged. As if sensing Sehun's eyes on her she lifted her head. Some sort of wordless conversation happened between Sehun and his mom at that moment. She nodded at him once before dropping her head back. Sehun understood what she meant. It had been decided that the whole endeavor was hopeless. Saving Seung-Wan was impossible. There was no turning back, he had to do whatever it took to stop his sister. Save for Blink, none of them was blood-related to him. But it didn't make them less his family. Through sheer force of will, Sehun had gathered a family. He’d found the people he needed and he’d held them to himself, tightly and furiously, and never willing to let go. And knowing what horrible fate would befall all the people he held dear if he didn't do anything, had the anger bubbling inside him threatened to surge out. Snapping his attention back to his sister, Sehun could feel his eyes changing, his sight a shade of red. His firebird was at the forefront and the next moment Sehun's body was on fire as he spoke."You got no honor Seung-Wan, without honor you got no family and without family you got nothing. Anyone with you is either because they fear you or because they'll benefit from you." He clenched his hands, willing the fire to settle back. It raged outward one last time before setting back inside him. Sehun didn't need to look to know the shock he gave the people who didn't know what he was. Their loud exclamations said it all. She let Jae go, and Sehun's heart shivered, but then his son was suspended in the air, not falling. She clapped her hands excited."Oh, you finally drop the facade. Good, good." She said, pinning him with a look that had his insides shaken."I got nothing because of you Sehun dear, my future, my family you stole that from me, well not that I mind, you can have it all. "she grinned with a psychotic glint in her eyes. "The game just started, there's so much people to hurt" she gestured around the room. Like Sehun would sit and let her hurt them. But the point she was missing was her issues. She didn't see Sehun's genuineness, because she lacked what would make it possible. And he realized it wasn't because she couldn't, but just chose not to. "I am not gonna let you hurt anyone, I will break yours piece by piece if I have to" He vowed. Sehun wouldn't let her win, even if it meant his heart would bleed out. She hummed. "I get that I am the bad guy. And I like being so." "There is no good person or bad person,” Sehun told her what he'd once said to Jang. “All we are is a sum of what we do" he strongly believed a person could choose to do good or bad, not because they were meant to be that way. She opened , only to snap it shut and look behind Sehun. Sehun followed her line of sight, just as four people walked into the room. It was Yuri, Taeyeon, and the two Sehun recognized as Taeyeon's guards. "Mother?" Kai asked his sister, pushing away from the pillar. "She's fine. Taehyung and Yoongi are with her" Taeyeon said, frowning as her eyes went to the portal or more like what was on the other side. "What is happening?" She asked eyes still on Seung-Wan as her two guards stood behind her. "She has the prince." Yuri exclaimed in shock, pointing a finger to the bundle still afloat."Why isn't anyone doing something?" She asked.  "Because they're too afraid." Seung-Wan goaded, shrugging. "The ?" Yuri said, sharing a look with Taeyeon."Who is she?" The smell of magic in the air was the only warning they got. Before any of them could respond, Yuri and her wife were heading into the portal, the other female guards right behind them. "No Yul!" Kai let out, reaching out to hold Yuri back. But it was a little too late. The four were already on the other side of the portal. The moment they stepped into it, some sort of magical barrier instantly formed by the entrance, to stop anyone from getting in too, or to keep Taeyeon and the others trapped inside. It was the latter, Sehun realized with a sickening sensation.  Dread made his blood run cold, but he told himself it was nothing. Everything would be fine. He cursed under his breath as he watched an ugly smile curved his sister's lips. This was bad. "Minseok can you tear through the barrier?" He asked the Kitsune. Minseok frowned, hand hovering over the barrie