A/N: nyokopuppet

 I regret to inform you that after this chapter, there's only one more before 'Lord of Shadows' is completed. It's been a great ride but the main story is just about done. I still have an epilogue and perhaps a special chapter or two, but as the main storyline goes, the next chapter is the last. Thanks to all my subbies and voters, from those who started with me to those who just started last chapter. Thank you all very much.

            He could not believe his life was going to end this way. Leo couldn’t help flashing back to his childhood, his father pushing him to be a businessman, his inattentive mother, and his sisters who were only concerned with their own happiness to really give a rat’s about him. But he was never bitter, because he had N.

            Regret. As the ground drew closer, Leo only felt regret. He had no clue his actions would cause so much pain to Ilhoon; he never wanted that. He only did what he did to keep Ilhoon from suffering, the way he had. He didn’t know Junhyung was as important to Ilhoon and N was to him.

            Just the thought of N made his heart ache. He had pulled his best friend into a fruitless battle. Not only N, but all his friends. If he had looked past his hatred, even for a second, and took time to know the truth behind the shadows, he wouldn’t be falling to his demise. He could only hope his friends were able to recognize the truth before they made the same if not a greater mistake than him.

            Leo closed his eyes letting his tears fall freely, only a mere second away from the inevitable impact. “N... I’m sorry.”

            It didn’t hurt. He thought death would be more painful. He was afraid to open his eyes but as he felt something soft land on his face, he couldn’t help but peek. A feather. He pulled it off his face before looking to his side. He was still in the air, perhaps higher than before. As he turned and looked upward he saw the concerned face he longed for. An angel. His angel. N.

            N cradled the boy in his arms landing on ground as Leo fell unconscious once more. His arms hurt from the impact, but anything was worth it, as long as he could save Leo. He carried the rei towards the front gate of the school where the other Vixx members flew before him.

            “Leo!” Ken cried.

            “, is he...” Ravi trailed off.

            “He’s still alive, Wonshik,” N announced. He laid Leo on the sidewalk and examined his wing. “But he’s taken a lot of damage.”

            Two cars quickly drove up to the school. Minhyuk and Changsub leapt off from the rooftops as the other Btob members scrambled out the vehicles.

            Eunkwang quickly ran to N before looking at Leo. “Leo.” Eunkwang looked up at the roof, seeing the damage to the surrounding fence. “. What happened? Is Ilhoon ok?”

            N sighed before turning to the group as the girls, Jihoon, and Rain exited the vehicles. “Hyuk, Ken, can you and Rain take Leo back to the clubhouse? In mine in Leo’s room, there should be an old phone book with my grandmother’s phone number. She’ll know how to treat his wing.”

            “But what about you?” Ken asked.

            “I need to stay here and survey the damage.” He glanced toward Eunkwang. “I at least owe that to Eunkwang.”

            Ken sighed before nodding and he and Hyuk both carried Leo into Rain’s car.

            Eunkwang sighed heavily. “Let's go. I need to know if Ilhoon and Junhyung are ok.”

            ‘Please be ok,’ Doojoon transmitted sadly.

            N wrapped his arms around Eunkwang, lifting the boy up onto the roof while everyone rushed inside through the front door.

            “Oppa! Oppa!” Jiyoon called as she held her injured brother in her arms. Junhyung had fallen unconscious some time ago and his body was slowly burning away in the sun.

            “Stay with me, hyung!” Ilhoon yelled from beside the fading shadow. “Don’t you dare give up on me, I need you!”

            “!” Eunkwang cursed as he and N landed on the roof and ran toward the siblings.

            ‘No! No! , why is he out in the sun?!’ Doojoon practically yelled.  

           “Eunkwang, you’re ok,” Ilhoon called as his leader ran to his side with N trailing not too far behind.

            ‘Junhyung, stay with me man!’ Doojoon called.

            “Why is he out in the light? Can’t he phase back into the shadows?” Eunkwang asked.

           N shook his head, “Leo must’ve used the reaper glove on him. It tears creatures from the shadows, and makes it impossible for them to return.”

            ‘We gotta get him out of the sunlight!’ Doojoon called. ‘Let’s move him somewhere with absolutely no sun.’

            “The auditorium!” Ilhoon cried. “We gotta move him to the auditorium!”

            The group nodded and N and Eunkwang helped Junhyung onto Ilhoon’s back. Jiyoon draped her jacket over the fading shadow and Ilhoon quickly rushed back into the school building. They ran quickly through the halls, passing their other friends on the way to the auditorium. Jiyoon burst open the doors to the large, low-lit theater and Ilhoon rushed in, laying his brother on a seat. The others hurried in after as Ilhoon kneeled down beside his brother whose body had already dissolved from his feet to his knees.

            “This isn’t working!” Ilhoon yelled. “He’s still fading!”

            The other Beast members emerged from the shadows and ran to their friend’s side. Gina approached slowly, seeing the shadow’s lifeless face and she immediately burst into tears.

            “Jaesoon! No!” She cried.

            Jiyoon was sobbing uncontrollably as Hyuna captured her in a hug.

            “Isn’t there something we can do?!” Sohyun cried. “There has to be something!”

            Ilhoon thought before turning toward Hyunseung. “The book!”

            “The book?” Hyunseung tilted his head before reaching into Changsub’s backpack and grabbing The Tome of Monster Transformations.

            Ilhoon clumsily rushed over and snatched it from the blonde shadow before hastily flipping through the pages to find the page on Shadows.

            “What are you doing, Ilhoon?” Sungjae called.

            “This book turned you all into shadows, right? And to do it, you guys had to absorb the power from the dormant shadows each of you had. What if I did the same thing with Junhyung, an active shadow?”

            “I guess... in theory you’d switch places,” N answered

            “Ilhoon, that’s crazy,” Yoseob said. “We may not have told you but becoming a shadow was really painful.”