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Red Skys and Royal CardsI wasn’t expecting their past to be what it was. I never imagined that they would have a history so routed in pain, violence, and heartache. To have the life you lived ripped away from you and flipped into one of slavery and pain. It makes my heart clench that they had to go through all of this.
But while I hate that this had to happen to them, I also understand why it happened in some aspect. There is a cycle to everything. What you do will come back to you in some way. Karma I guess. They abused the power they were righteously gifted with and have to suffer because of it.
Power does nothing but destroy.
I now know their past, and while it doesn’t paint an entire picture, it’s better than before when I knew nothing about what shaped them and made them who they are. It affects them and there is nothing I can do to stop it from interfering with their lives.
I know they have sides to them that are not like how I see them. I’ve seen a glimpse at it when Tao messed with time for me, and when they have mentioned it. That side of them won’t go away and is a rather large part of them. Power seduces and it doesn’t let go very easily.
What feelings it brings don’t just go away, they become ingrained into who you are. When my Warriors have nothing else to fall back on, they’ll let that side of them take over, to protect them. But it isn’t right. Acting on those feelings and acting that way is something that should be avoided.
I see no purpose in harming others, no reason to hurt someone else because of a choice they made or a thought they have. Everyone has the choice to act as they want to, but they still should refrain from harming another.
“Their past affects them, Child. It haunts them and they will use what they know from that time when they must.” Nyx’s voice purred in my mind. “They have control over that side of them but they will always let it control them in situations they can’t control otherwise.”
“While you were within your core, they returned to how they were. They did things they never should have. They became the beings you despise. Dealer, they were ready to kill and not flinch about it.” Ember told me.
“Would they really do that? Do I really know them as much as I thought I did?” I asked them silently, holding back the tears in my eyes.
I trust my Warriors with my life. I care for them so much. And I have come to terms with the fact that they have hurt, harmed and killed because of the orders of their Dealers in the past. But it’s not the same knowing they did those same things on their own free will before they were Warriors that had to follow orders.
They freely and willingly hurt others to get what they wanted. They’ve killed innocents to get power.
“You know them better than anyone alive.” Nyx reassured me, “It is only the darker parts of them you are starting to learn. Get all the answers to what is happening and speak with each of them about what they have done and how they have changed. You will learn they are no different than the childish boys you have grown accustomed knowing. They have sides to them that are vastly different and need to be controlled properly.”
“If you find a way to control their darker sides then and repress it, then they will be almost no different than how you know them. They will just be willing to do whatever it takes to get what they are after.”
“I have to speak with the Royals. They have more information on all of this.”
My cousins said they knew about what was happening to me. They had to know some of the history of my Warriors; they had to know that the Cards were cursed. They told me they had an idea about why I was dead, why my core vanished. They had the answers I needed.
Whether or not they are Royals, or if my Warriors like them or not I have to meet them and get the answers from them. Yongguk, Youngjae and Zelo will help me understand this, make sense of this and explain it to me.
Ember’s flame printed features burst into flames as he rested his body against my arm. His soothing heat just like Chanyeol’s wrapped around my arm, the fire tickling my skin. Nyx’s tail coiled around my wrist, he body fitting itself into my upturned palm. Her obsidian scaled vibrated and shook, the light reflecting off of them to bring a silver and purple undertone to the forefront for a single second. Her wings stretching out, before settling around her once again.
“That would be unwise, Lady Dealer.” Ember said silently aloud. “They are upset as it is, bringing them here now would be a risk.”
“If they don’t come here I will not get my answers.” I mentally projected to him.
“They have the answers she seeks.” Nyx replied to Ember. She understood. “It is time she learns them.”
“Her Warriors have told her enough.”
But there is still more I do not know. They don’t have the answer to why I felt that pain split through me, why I was trapped within my core as the burned away. They don’t know why I died. They have no idea why all of this happened to me. My Royal cousins do.
“They do not know everything. The child seeks the answers our masters cannot give her. She should seek them herself, even at the risk of her Warriors.”
“So she should ignore the safety of her Cards and place all of them at risk to get answers we have no way to know if they will be useful, helpful or true?” Ember barked at Nyx. “Are you so wiling to see the happiness of your master vanish?”
I don’t want them to loose their smiles. I never want them to be unhappy, but this is something I have to do, I need to know what my cousins know and the only way to do that is to see them and ask them.
If that means it makes my Warriors uneasy I have to accept that fact and console them, but not doing it just won’t satisfy me. If it isn’t now it will be later.
“They won’t lie.” I sighed in reply to Ember. My cousins wouldn’t lie to me about something like this, that’s not them. “They will not lie about what I want to know. They wouldn’t lie to me.”
“How can you trust them so blindly?” Ember’s voice was dark as he spoke to me. I know he doesn’t like this option but there isn’t another one to rely on. “They know you have the EXO Cards! They found Nyx’s master for you so you could unlock him. How do you know they will not take them from you now that you have unlocked these Cards indefinitely?”
“They gave me Kris because he belonged to me. No matter what they would have done, Kris was fated to end up in my hands, along with Tao. I don’t know why, but I was meant to have my boys.” I snapped at him. “They will not take them from me. They have their own Decks.
“W-what?” I heard Kris sputter.
“Kris doesn’t need to know this. He doesn’t need to hear so much about before his Claiming like this.” Nyx whined to
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