13. The Ignis Scintilla [Part 1]

 

The Ignis Scintilla: "The Fire's Spark"

 

 

 

"I need to know what happened to trigger..."

 

 

She is curious about the ignis scintilla.

 

 

"... all the chaos and rivalry in the first place."

 

 

 

= = = Soundtrack 1: B2ST - Just Before Shock = = =

 

He didn't do anything... except stare at me.

 

He was neither smirking nor scowling. He was simply looking at me.

 

"Taemin-ah..." I fixed my gaze on Kai-sshi's still figure leaning on the wall and softly called for my comrade while still swaying my body to the music, but lessening the intensity of my movements. 

 

I guess he didn't hear me well because he was still partying like how he usually does. I decided to call him again. 

 

"Taemin-ah, please stop dancing for a while." I called again for him, my heartbeats picking up pace as I did so. This time, I saw Kai-sshi withdraw from his leaning stance on the wall and slowly walk...

 

...towards my direction.

 

At that moment that Kai-sshi took his first step, the fear invaded my mind through my memories, and the images in my mind that I tried so hard to keep broke loose from their chains. I began to think of his motions again, how he brought me to his room...

 

...and the kiss I willingly shared with him.

 

That's it. I've had enough.

 

"Taemin-ah... RUN!" I exclaimed before taking Taemin-ah's hand and running away from the figure that had threatened to once more instill fear into my heart. Fortunately, my colleague took this as a signal to actually follow me, and we made our escape.

 

We hurriedly got inside Taemin-ah's Ferrari and I dared not to look behind me the moment the engine purred to life. I instructed Taemin-ah to immediately go back to my and my brothers' house, and he followed. I breathed a sigh of relief as I glanced at the rearview mirror and saw no car chasing us.

 

But that breath was cut short as a sudden question presented itself to me.

 

Why didn't Kai-sshi follow us?

 

The question kept bugging me even as I sat back down on my bed and looked at Taemin-ah who sat on the floor near me. My brothers had just texted me, saying that they'll be home in a few minutes, and that they'll be looking into the incident that happened to me earlier. They hadn't expected the appearance of any SkullBeater member in Club Mirage, their second-highest-in-rank no less, but had plans made to watch him closely after this incident.

 

"Shirin-ah..." Chanho Oppa spoke first once he got past my door and held me in his arms, stepping over Taemin-ah's sitting form [and avoiding him] on the ground as he did so.

 

"Kwaenchana, Oppa. Really. I'm okay." I said softly, trying to convince my brothers... and myself.

 

"I see that the boy is planning something on you again this time, huh?" Seunghyun Oppa said when Chanho Oppa released me, and I found myself nodding.

 

"But then again, with all three of us around, I doubt he'll be able to get to her." Taemin-ah said, standing up from the floor and sitting beside me. When I looked at his grinning expression, I smiled back too.

 

"We shouldn't be so sure about that though. There are still possible scenarios wherein we could be unable to help her." Seunghyun Oppa cut in. 

 

"Yeah. Knowing from history the capabilities of those SkullBeaters to just hack at everybody and destroy what they see, they could still create a blind spot for us." Chanho Oppa added, and at that, my heartbeats picked up pace again.

 

"Wait a minute. Let me backtrack for a bit. You said 'from history'? I don't get it. What really started this mess?" I asked my brothers, confusion now seeping to the depths of my mind. I have never heard the story of these two rival brotherhoods even when I was training. Nobody had the guts to tell me what had been lying unseen in history.

 

I stared at my brothers in confusion, and my brows met in even more confusion when Seunghyun Oppa just sighed.

 

"I guess it's time that we tell it to you, Shirin-ah." Chanho Oppa muttered before leading us out of my room and into Seunghyun Oppa's room.

 

My mind was beginning to make assumptions on why we were here, but everything just flashed out of my brain when Seunghyun Oppa took a book from his ten-layered bookshelf before leading us again to the home office, where I often see Seunghyun Oppa at work regarding the brotherhood whenever he's home.

 

Taemin-ah led me inside by holding out a hand to me, which I took. When I finally got inside the office, Seunghyun Oppa hit the book gently with his hand, the sound making me jump.

 

"I thought that you wouldn't have any questions regarding the beginning of everything between the SkullBeaters and the ReapedSouls. Even Taemin-ah knows about this, but even he wasn't allowed to reveal it to you. Only now, I think, would be the best time to tell you all you need to know." Seunghyun Oppa began, walking towards the desk in the middle of the room and sitting down, opening the book he took from the shelf earlier.

 

I took a peek at the pages and saw...

 

"Nothing." I murmured, but I only heard Chanho Oppa chuckle. Then, he opened the lamp on top of Seunghyun Oppa's desk, which revealed a purple light. 

 

I looked back at the supposedly blank page of the book...

 

... and words appeared in front of my eyes.

 

= = = Soundtrack 2: U-Kiss - Intro [ContiUkiss] = = =

 

Since the dawn of modern age, mafia clans had been in existence.

 

These had been under the possesion of the older members of society, people of power and influence: those who have control of the biggest companies, those who are in the government, those who control the businesses. Younger generations from these mafia clans had built their own bands to have their own share of power, although they are still under the mercy of their older mafia counterparts.

 

These are called gangs or brotherhoods by the members.

 

These groups are given power by the larger and more experienced mafia clans to hold the smaller businesses like clubs, drug bases, ion houses and the like. They are also given liberty to battle and gain control over other gangs, like how mafia leaders either join forces or seek to obliterate the other's members and supporters.

 

"So, in a sense, the brotherhoods we have now are like little mafia groups?" I asked Seunghyun Oppa as I finished reading the few paragraphs of the first page. He nodded and nudged my arm to make me proceed.

 

The two biggest and most controlled of these gangs or brotherhoods as of late are the SkullBeaters and the ReapedSouls. Originally, they were one single group called BloodLust, but a certain rift regarding the leadership had caused about half of these BloodLust members to break off from the original circle.

 

Thus, the SkullBeaters were formed.

 

Now, the men who are in this brotherhood posses the bloodlust nature of the original clan. They are known to break and destroy. Their handled businesses had usually been of drugs, human trafficking, and ion. They are the warfreaks as described by many gang members, who would never resist a huge war once it comes their way.

 

Now having about fifty or so subgroups under it, it is the best analogy for the definition of an underground mafia clan in the making.

 

Many clubs owned by their rival groups have been trashed and burned to the ground by this brotherhood. One of the clubs that have been devastatedly crushed by the members of the SkullBeaters is Club Machina, ordered to be built by former BloodLust leader Ahn Junghyo. It had been classified as the biggest club massacre in underground gang history, as about 500 people were killed during the destruction of this club. 

 

It had been classifed on police records as a power line-related accident, but in truth? The SkullBeaters had staged the massive homicide as a form of rebellion by the first SkullBeaters leader Kim Baekjo against the then-leader of BloodLust Song Kyuhan, who then disbanded BloodLust and established a new brotherhood.

 

I immediately thought about Kai-sshi and Myungsoo-sshi. They had such a past behind them? Then I guess it was right to fear them. 

 

History had dictated that they would be killers and destroyers.

 

My mind then began to travel back to the brown room of Kai-sshi, and how softly he laid me down on his bed. His hands had not held me with hostility. Rather, he was careful with his movements. He had been kind enough to stitch back my wound and re-bandage it. His hands were light as they grazed over my wounds.

 

Kai-sshi had been foretold by the past to be a murderer.

 

But how could murderers be so... gentle?

 

I immediately slapped myself mentally before breathing out a sigh of irritation.

 

I better get going and snap out of this unnecessary thinking.

 

I looked again at the last few words.

 

... Song Kyuhan, who then disbanded BloodLust and established a new brotherhood.

 

"Chanho Oppa, what brotherhood did Song Kyuhan-sshi establish when he disbanded BloodLust?" I asked my brother, though inside my mind, I think I already know the answer.

 

Chanho Oppa just smiled and ruffled my hair before answering.

 

"ReapedSouls."