READ CHAPTER THIRTEEN BEFORE READING.

Seunghyun finished the last dish in the sink, putting the spotless china back in the cabinet.

He looked out the window. The plush pillow clouds were gray and black, casting its shadow over Namwon like they were on top of the world.

He pushed up the thick glasses up the bridge of his nose before they fell too low, removing himself from the kitchen and standing in the deserted hallway.

He never liked this century. It was odd the way technology was developed and selfishly used. He never had sinks back in the dynasty age—it was so much more hardworking. And even humans now didn’t use sinks, but dishwashers because they were too lazy and wanted to save their time to do something that didn’t even matter for the world.

He was glad that the only think that hadn’t changed was the house he lived in. Of course he had to move out every thirty or so years because he didn’t look as if he were aging. But to the most when a new century rolled around, he returned to this home. It was never sold and was never demolished.

This is what he called home.

What was left of the Joseon Dynasty.

He hadn’t lived alone though—he didn’t technically live with anyone, but had people bunking in his place. The folks he was devoted to as long as he lived.

It was never a pain to have them as company anyway. They were conservative and even though they were high creatures, they still treated everyone with respect, so Seunghyun had no complaints about them.

His company, his companions, had been living with him for almost a year even though he’d known them since forever. They needed his help, his guidance for the time they were there. No, these folks were wise and intelligent, but they needed aid. Something they could only do so much of. They needed their companion’s assistance, and Seunghyun was no more than glad to be a part of their lives.

He looked down the old-fashioned hall, taking in the emptiness of the house. His companions were out for the time being—it was morning; the time where they take a stroll around Namwon. He had no place to worry at all about them; they were tough beings.

But still, there was concern for one of his two guests: she was carrying a little one inside her, so they needed to take precautions.

Seunghyun tugged up his pants—why the hell do kids these days wear these ‘skinny jeans’? His body couldn’t breathe—and headed out to the door, starting his morning routine with a whiff of fresh air.

He stepped out the door and put his hands in his pockets, taking a stroll down the dirt paths and observing the houses around him. It was peaceful here in Namwon; just like back in the dynasty times.

It took a turn when a feeling crawled up from the left side of his neck and to his ear, wind whispering to him.

His right hand covered the left side of his neck, feeling the mark on him pulse and the wind speak.

  “You must come, Seunghyun. There is trouble this very morning.”

Seunghyun turned his luxury side off and snapped into seriousness, following the wind’s voice.

His companions were in trouble. Nice way to start a morning.

He submerged himself into the forest, climbing up the rocky hill with an inhuman stamina as his bones grew chilly, his hair turning to ice, and a glare flashed into his eyes.

He made it past the hill, forcing himself faster, almost flying, over even more of the risen grounds, racing against time to find his companions.

The wind’s whispers grew louder and louder until he found himself at a pond, watching as one of his companions was fighting off a couple of . . . of humans.

They had weaponry of odd sorts, attacking the companion as the one carrying a little one was forced to stay behind. She was already in her form, attacking with white fire from her hands, but her breath was escaping her.

She sharply turned her eyes to Seunghyun’s presence, providing him the information she had.

Human trackers. Imprisonment. Weapons. Rid of them.

Baby.

When the word baby was uttered out, Seunghyun could feel an uncomfortable clench in his stomach, some searing pain to say the least, and that’s how he knew she was in labor, yet she was working so hard to control it.

Seunghyun growled as his body grew icy cold and let himself enter the battle, taking the men out from the side, clawing each of them with his hands and throwing them into the pond with such little force.

They were still using their weapons while in the pond, aiming at all three of them, but Seunghyun allowed his inner shields to move out, a blue hue hovering over all three of them, rebounding the weapons’ threat back at the humans, hitting each and every one of them.

The power of their weapons were too strong for them.

And needless to say, they went under the water’s surface and didn’t come back up.

  “Seunghyun,” the male growled at him, huffing loudly, “Thank you for coming.”

Seunghyun’s monstrous form growled back at him in respect, “I came as soon as I heard. They were easier to handle than I thought.”

They both fought their true form together, returning back to a calmer state and finally able to talk on a more calm level.

  “I’m glad our mark hasn’t dulled,” the male said, “It would’ve taken you longer.”

  “Pardon me!”

The male turned and the both looked at the woman, her black marks still around her body, her white wings flapping furiously at the ground as she sat, “I’m a little in labor here, so could you shut the chit-chat and help?!”

They both wasted no time to help her, trying to make the delivery as painless as possible.

The woman made no sound of being harmed—she was an incredibly tough woman, a tough creature—trying to push out the child inside of her. Her black marks weren’t still anymore, but now maddeningly moving around as the pressure went on, her wings angrily smacking the ground.

The male pushed the hair out of her face, his heart beating as fast as hers with a hard look on his face, “Are you sure you’re ready to go? We could always—”

  “If you kill him, I’ll make sure you die before I do,” she growled out, struggling against Seunghyun’s grip on her arms because she wanted to smack him, “I didn’t go through nine months of this to decide to live.”

Seunghyun clenched his jaw at her words.

He’s been side-by-side with these specific companions since the dynasty, and to know they were going to die in just minutes was unsettling. He was a strong and emotionless man, but to have his closest friends leave by choice was maddening to him.

If only the woman was strong enough to live through delivery, then they’d both live.

But that’s not the way a defective female Daegrent lived.

  “Dear god, Seunghyun, sweetheart,” she growled her eyes blazing white, “Tell him to just get it out of me! I’m not going to wait any longer!”

Seunghyun looked at the man, obeying her demand, “Do it.”

The man’s eye slightly twitched from being told what to do, but followed.

Before Seunghyun could comprehend, the woman gave out a last hard grunt before a shrill cry was heard and in the man’s arms was a creature bundled in black marks, tiny little wing buds on its back.

The woman he held slumped as her black marks began fading to gray, her breathing slowing down, her wings contracting.

Seunghyun, alarmed, held her properly, shaking her, “Stay awake, come on. You are not defective! You are not defective!”

  “His name is Minho. His name is Choi Minho, got it?” she growled at him, gripping on to his arm.

Seunghyun kept quiet for a moment, relishing her brown eyes as the white had faded out, holding her tightly, “I’ll watch over him well.”

She finally smiled at him, patting his cheek, “You’re the best, Seunghyun. No Toproai can beat your loyalty—your friendship to us. I’m sorry we must part from you because of what I’ve done.”

  “You’re not defective,” Seunghyun growled out, looking at the male, “You’re not dying.”

  “We’ve accepted it, Seunghyun,” the male nodded, “I accepted it once I bit her as she had to me. I accepted she was abnormal in strength. It’s your turn, our friend, to accept it and watch over our combination. Minho, we’ve named him.”

Seunghyun could feel an uncomfortable icy ache fill his throat, looking back at the woman, silently praying for her not to go.

  “We left everything in our room,” she whispered, “All of our books, documents, stories, maps, everything. You will teach him well and you will never leave him behind, do you hear me?”

Seunghyun knelt his head down and put them forehead to forehead, his eyes watering in despair, “I hear you, my lady. I am forever loyal to your bloodline.”

  “I will always know, Seunghyun. I’ll be watching,” she breathed.

When her grip slacked off his arm and her forehead left his, Seunghyun let his tears drop to her chin, silently crying as the life of this very Daegrent had left this world after so long. Her skin was drooping, her wrinkles became present, her hair turned to gray. She aged as she died.

  “Seunghyun, my dear friend.”

He let her go, laying her on the ground as he looked back at the male, who had the newborn swaddled in a fine cotton blanket.

The male was staring at his son, pulling back the ridiculous amount of black curly hair on his head, his son’s face with a small smile, “Seunghyun, my friend since forever, hold my son.”

The man held Minho out, forcing Seunghyun to take the baby, to hold him in his arms, to watch his black marks move on his skin as he breathed.

Seunghyun wanted to hate the baby, but he had no reason too. It was his companions’ decision to create life even though there was a risk. It wasn’t the baby’s fault that neither of them could live. They were the ones who made the choice despite Seunghyun’s pleads.

But Seunghyun couldn’t be angry at them either.

  “Since forever,” the male repeated, causing Seunghyun to look up, “I still remember the day you let me mark you. You were rather displeased with the feeling of teeth on your neck. An hour later you were laughing about it. We, as three, have never been into war with each other, had a dispute so large we separated, or even tried to kill one another out of anger. No companionship has ever encountered an attachment like this, and it was well spent.

  “We have so many apologies regarding our decision. But we needed, we wanted to do this. It is selfish of us to make it your duty to become the father-figure of our child. But there was no one else we could trust. You, our dear friend, are our savior. You are bigger than us, and if we could, we would bow down to your presence.

  “Take care of Minho,” he concluded in a breathy voice, “Be especially stern with him and do what you must. Do not mention us or do so as much as you feel necessary. Leave it all to the books. He will live in a tougher era than we had and you will do your best to toughen him up. And about the mark on his wrist—”

  “I’ll burn it when he’s of age,” Seunghyun finished for him, wiping his eye, “The mark will become ash hidden beneath the burn of his skin.”

The man smiled, the twinkle in his eye as his body grew older and older, wrinkles forming and skin drooping, his hair turning white, his marks graying and his wings shriveling up with age.

  “See you behind your eyes, our dear friend Seunghyun.”

  “Wait!” Seunghyun reached out with one arm, wanting to catch his companion before he slumped over but missed.

His heart pounded in his ears as his eyes blurred with new tears.

The wind whispered in his ears, the Daegrents’ voice among them, singing to him.

When the dawn rises, so do our creatures.

Good or bad, all the sorts.

But no matter who we are, our kinds stand as one.

In respect, wisdom, and courageous forms.

Our legacy will be passed down to another.

Our legacy is passed down to you.

We are proud of your future as a creature among this world.

You are our living legacy.

Seunghyun held the quiet baby as he watched the Daegrents’ bodies naturally light themselves up with white fire, their body showing submission as they turned to ash and flew with the wind, freeing themselves of this world.

Seunghyun lightly cried out, looking back at the face of his companion’s combined. It was too different. It was too real.

Seunghyun felt the left of his neck and curled his fingers, raking red marks on his skin.

He could no longer feel his mark.

----Note~----

Welcome to the first official chapter! WOOT!

... No, I'm not that excited, actually. xD

This corresponds to chapter thirteen, and hopefully you've all read it by now.

Hopefully, the way these creatures speak won't be too confusing or too odd to read. They're thousands of years old, come on. Sometimes speech doesn't change!

(It sure did for Jonghyun, though. xD )

Here's normal Seunghyun and here's Toproai Seunghyun: This mixed with these eyes.

There will be more regarding to Minho's parents, too. Don't worry. :P

Bye~

Thank you to every single view~ <3

~FlaMinhoe