hello guys!
i'm a bit ashamed because it took me a while to write this one (again), but i'm happy i'm able to update this story again!
thank you so much for the support and the love you keep giving me! it's my fuel to keep going with this fanfic and not give up <3 it means a lot to me! and thanks for being patient with me! i know slow updates are frustrating
this chapter was quite hard to write and i'm not 100% satisfied with it, but here you go! hope you enjoy! :)
(as usual, sorry for the typos and mistakes that remain, i tried my best)

          The walls trembled with force again and some long, thin cracks appeared on the ceiling. It felt like something was repeatedly crashing against the house, trying to break through the walls and force its way inside. Donghae stood in the middle of the room, feeling each and every shake of house, all the way to his bones, and he trembled. He could only stand there, frozen, as pure panic took over him.
The Witch was indeed trying to get inside the house. She was coming for him.

His eyes searched for Hyukjae, desperate for the man's reassurance but only to find a painfully terrified expression plastered on his lover's face. Hyukjae was terrorized, eyes wide with fear and skin paler than usual. The sight made Donghae’s gut twist, leaving him viciously nauseous, but it also sent a sudden rush of adrenaline surging through his body as he watched Hyukjae and realized the man was in terrible danger because of him. He knew the Witch was here for him, but he also knew he wouldn't be the only one being attacked. She would go after Hyukjae too, and hurt Heechul, Leeteuk and Kangin at the same time.

And he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't be afraid now and run from it. He had to protect them!

He stepped forward and reached out for Hyukjae. "Hyukkie, let's do it", he said, voice shaking, as he grasped the man's hand and squeezed it tightly.

Hyukjae looked down at him and frowned. "What?" he nearly squeaked, staring at Donghae with wide eyes.

"I'll do it", Donghae said, more firmly this time as his determination grew stronger. "I'll protect you."

The house shook again.

"Guys!!" Leeteuk shouted from the other side of the house. "You need to come out of the bedroom, now! We've got to gather in the main room!"

Donghae clenched his jaw and gathered his courage, before he pulled on Hyukjae's hand, dragging the man toward the door.

"No wait!" Hyukjae protested right away. "You can't -"

"I have to, Hyukkie!" Donghae said. "I'm the only one who can protect you now! I'm scared”, his voice faltered a second. “But I can't hesitate… I must kill her!"

Hyukjae's eye were filled with horror, but there was also something like pride and admiration glimmering inside the dark orbs. Hyukjae's terrified gaze suddenly hardened and a determined expression took over the young man's face.     

"Okay then, let's do it, together", he said and nodded frantically. "We do this together. We get out of it alive, or we fail and die, but we do it together."

Donghae squeezed Hyukjae's fingers and a warm, strong feeling bloomed inside his chest, powerful and incredible. A strong sense of courage he had lacked until then. He would fight to protect his loved one. He wouldn't fear death. He'd rather die than lose his beloved one. He'd rather die than live without Hyukjae.

The house shook again and the walls creaked dangerously. They exchanged another glance, before Hyukjae pressed a short kiss on Donghae lips, barely more than a peck. He pulled back right away and dragged Donghae toward the door.

"Keep your eyes shut for now, we don't want to hurt the guys... But be ready to use them. I'll guide you", he said as he unlocked the door and flung it open.

Donghae complied, letting his eyelids flutter shut, and followed Hyukjae out of the room, their hands grasped tight. Hyukjae was quick to take them back to the main room, where Donghae could hear the others talking with tense and anxious voices.

"I won't be able to hold her back for long", Leeteuk told them as soon as they entered the room. "She's too strong. She'll break through my protections and spells."

"Are you sure it's her?" Hyukjae asked. "Are you sure it's the witch who cursed Donghae?"

"Yes, I am", Leeteuk said. 

"How can you tell?" Heechul inquired as he came to stand next to Donghae. The man's voice was slightly wavering, but still sounded as determined and strong-willed as ever. It gave Donghae some more courage.

"Every Witch's magic is unique”, Leeteuk replied. “Her magic is unique and it is imprinted on Donghae, on the curse she cast on him. It's branded, you may say, like a trademark. It's easy for me to sense it and tell if it's from this Witch or another."

Donghae pursed his lips and frowned. "Why can't I feel her?" he wondered. "I felt the Witch's power in Mexico, her evilness, way before we were inside the town... But still I can barely feel the Witch now."

"It's because I created a magic shield around the house, like protective ramparts", Leeteuk replied hastily. Donghae could hear him walking across the room, back and forth, and Kangin too, as they seemed to both work on something. It sounded as if they were rubbing something wet on the flood. "The shield blocks her magic, that's why you can't feel her so much. She's breached the protections but not completely broken them yet. Kangin, you need to draw another rune there."

"What are they doing?" Donghae asked, clueless about what was going on around him.

"Painting symbols on the floor", Hyukjae replied in a hushed voice, as if he feared to disturb the men's work.

"It'll protect us when she gets past the main shield, but not for long", Kangin added from somewhere across the room. He sounded like he was crouching. Donghae pursed his lips, hoping those runes would keep them safe long enough to let them come up with a plan.

"How could she find him so fast?" Hyukjae asked in a mumble.

"She gave him a powerful curse, Hyuk", Leeteuk muttered. "It's easy for her to follow his track."

The house trembled again and this time the walls made a nasty sound, like a series of stifled squeaks. The sound of creaking wood echoed in the room. Donghae felt his heart miss a beat and he held his breath.

"Damn! She's in", Leeteuk breathed out and the tension in his voice sent chill down Donghae's spine. "Kangin, complete the circle, quick-"

"I'm done."

Donghae squeaked when Hyukjae abruptly shoved him to the side, inside was he guessed was the magic circle. Less than a second later, the Witch stormed inside the room.
Donghae didn't need to see her to feel her presence. Her powerful magic filled the room like a thick poison and the air changed into something heavy and stifling, oppressive, almost unbearable. It was crippling and overpowering, and Donghae began to shake from head to toes, overwhelmed by the strong power of the Witch and the sense of terror coming with it. 

"You little piece of ”, she spoke slowly. “Thought you could keep me out."

Her voice was low, cold and dark, dripping with hatred and scorn. It was deep and sensuous, like honey, but everything about it inspired a sense of fear and danger. It sent chills down Donghae’s spine, and brought goose bumps all over his skin, just to hear her voice and feel her evil presence. She was dreadful.

"Do you really think this circle will keep you safe? From me?" she scoffed as she took a step closer. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor and the sound echoed through the silent room. “Fools.”

Leeteuk then began to quickly utter strange words, in a language Donghae didn’t understand. The words sounded odd and foreign, but somehow strong and chanting, and the cursed boy understood the sorcerer was casting an incantation.

But the Witch snorted with disdain and chanted some words of her own, her strong voice covering Leeteuk hasty murmurs. Donghae felt a sudden rush of magic fill the room, leaving the air heavy and thick, before a strong gush of wind swirled in the room and made him sway on his feet. A couple meters from him, Leeteuk released a choked cry of surprise and Kangin shouted a muffled 'Teukie!'. Donghae squeezed his lids tightly shut, frightened, as a strong smell of blood reached his nose.  Next to him, both Hyukjae and Heechul gasped loudly.

The unnatural wind vanished as fast as it had appeared, leaving the house quiet once again. But Donghae's fear only grew stronger. He didn't need his eyes to know something terrible had just happened. All his senses were awake and aware. He couldn’t feel Leeteuk's presence in the room anymore.

“Where is he?!” Kangin roared, voice raw with pure fury. “What have you done to him?!”

“He was a nuisance, so I sent him away”, the Witch smoothly purred, her tone filled with some sort of wicked malice. “Don’t worry about him, he’s probably alive, I have no interest in him. He won’t be able to come back just yet, though. I just needed to get him out of the way for a while. I have no time to waste. I want to finish this quick.”

Donghae could feel Kangin fuming with anger and distress, but the boy had no time to worry about the man, nor about Leeteuk, because the Witch spoke again and her words made his heart pound harder and all the hair on his body stood up.

“Now, there you are”, she said and Donghae just knew she was talking to him. “Come here.”

Donghae gasped and took a step backward instead, unable to resist his instinct to put distance between him and the evil creature. Everything inside of him screamed for him to run. Hyukjae wrapped his arm around Donghae and held him closer, in a weak attempt to keep him safe from the Witch, but it wasn't enough for Donghae to feel safe this time.

“I said, come here”, the Witch snapped with annoyance, visibly losing her patience.

“No”, Donghae whimpered and took another step back, pressing himself against Hyukjae, so close he could feel his lover’s heart pounding wildly against his ribcage.

“I have no time for your games, scum”, she snarled. “Come here. Now!”, she hissed. But Donghae didn't move. “I’ll take great pleasure in killing you”, she added with a low growl as the boy didn’t obey.

Donghae’s heart was now beating just as hard as Hyukjae’s, hammering inside his chest, while cold sweat covered his body and made him shake. His stomach seemed to have dropped down to his knees and he was ready to throw up. He could feel he wasn't the only one being petrified by the Witch. Everyone in the room seemed just as struck with fear, quiet and rooted to the spot.

“Oh yes”, she went on, her voice filled with loath and barely contained rage. “Yes, I will enjoy your screams of agony and I’ll watch you squirm with all that pain I’ll inflict you. I will rejoice in your suffering and I'll feed on your cries. I know so many spells I could use to torture you, inside and out.”

Her poisonous words made Donghae even more dizzy and nauseated. Never had he met somehow as evil as this woman, as angry and full of hatred, someone with a soul so dark and cruel. Not even the other Witch he had killed had seemed that much rotten from the inside. There was an anger inside of her that made her monstrous.

The lump down his throat tightened. He had to fight her, he knew it, but at that moment he couldn't even remember how to speak, how to think, how to move. He barely knew how to breath anymore.

"The other Witches wanted to come and take care of you, but I wouldn’t let them. Told them it was my job to clean my mess - since I made you", she said and snorted. "But oh! truth is I would never let any of those es touch you."

She took a step closer and Donghae flinched. His body jerked away instinctively.

"It'd be different if it was another of my toy. I'd have let them kill it, I wouldn't care. But it's you", she sneered. "My favourite pet. The son of this man I hate, this arrogant man who dared to deny me, once. But no one denies me!" she screeched. "I will make you pay for what he did. And then, when I'm done with you I'll go and find him, I’ll put him in chains and torture him until he begs for death. But I won't kill him, or you. I'll keep your mutilated bodies with me, in my den, and I’ll curse you both and torture you until you can't take it anymore and die of agony, and then I'll keep hurting you in the afterlife, forever."

Donghae was ready to throw up by the time she stopped talking. The horrible threats she was uttering with her cold, dark voice, were real and he knew it. She would do it, would torture him and his father. And despite what the man had once done to him, how much he had hurt him, Donghae didn’t want her to hurt his father.

Kangin chose that moment to lean closer to Donghae. “She isn't protecting her eyes, she's looking at you”, he whispered to the boy. “You have a chance.”

Donghae’s heart thumped but he held back his fear. Leeteuk had told him that Witches had one major weakness: they were overconfident and fearless. They didn’t believe anything or anyone could beat them. They never learned from their mistakes. His best chance was that the Witch would underestimate him and not protect her eyes from his.

"I can hear you!" the Witch roared. "Fools! How dare you think he can fight me! Don’t forget I made him! His curse is born from