Chapter 11. Age of Opression

The storm fell upon them unforgiving. They had gathered enough food thanks to Aigiel and Youngbae hunting abilities. Seungri had made himself useful by making out of animal skin some covers and sheaths for the night. Jiyong kept watch outside the cavern; all powerful and also all wet. That last part made Seungri worry about him. Even if SooJoo tried, uselessly, to convince him that Jiyong wouldn’t catch the flu for staying outside, Seungri still sent worried glances at the crunched figure at the edge of the cavern. The storm lasted three whole days.

Seungri learned more about demons those three days than what he had gathered his short life. He learned that SooJoo had powers. Though she didn’t like calling them powers, for it had been that name the one Esh had used to throw her out while calling her a freak and a monster. Jiyong had found her and took her under his protection.

“So you can listen to the trees?” Seungri frowned

“No, no,” SooJoo shook his head and grinned, amused. “Trees don’t talk, you fool! I am an empath. A really powerful one, it seems,” she said that scratching her neck and looking coy, “Your thoughts and emotions have a particular vibe, energy or however you want to call it. I learn to detect it, to identify it and track it… It helps that everything from the trees to the ground serves as a medium for that energy.”

“That’s what Jiyong was doing when he murmured your name at the woods those nights?”

SooJoo turned to look at Jiyong apologetically, “Yes. He was trying to concentrate on reaching me. But I had been hurt. Even now my power is still really weak. Aigiel was the one who found you two, not me.”

“I was worried,” Jiyong interrupted with a quiet voice, looking at the flames, “When I wasn’t able to reach you, and when days passed and you didn’t answer. I thought…” his voice failed and he let out a sob, “I thought you might be dead.”

SooJoo’s eyes softened and she approached the alpha, “You don’t have faith in us, Ji. The day we die, will do so together,” she said and lifted her hand up. Jiyong looked at the hand with watery eyes and placed his hand next to hers, intertwining their fingers.

“I’m glad you are here… I just… I wonder sometimes, I worry about Xin.”

At the sound of the name, SooJoo whimpered and lowered her eyes to the ground. Aigiel gasped and stiffened. Youngbae shook his head with his eyes closed. Seungri titled his head confused.

“Who is Xin?”

SooJoo looked up and gave him a sad smile, “The last member of our team. He was a soldier, as same as Jiyong.”

“Where…?” his answer was interrupted by Youngbae’s hand over his shoulder. He shook his head.

“He decided to leave us,” Aigiel said from the other side of the cavern, his voice sounded strained and even disappointed, “When we fled, he went the opposite direction. We shout his name. Youngbae tried to reach him but he has always been fast. We don’t know where he is… He might be with Esh…”

“That’s bull!” SooJoo cried out, her eyes suddenly turned red and she snarled at Aigiel, “He would never betray us! Even when he doesn’t share our ideals, he would never betray us! You know that!”

Aigiel snarled back and raised his wings, “He left! For all we know he could be by now telling all our plans to Esh! He didn’t even look back! He left! You love him, SooJoo. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of betraying us.”

“ you!” SooJoo growled and Seungri jumped back at the sight of fangs emerging.

“Stop!” a strong demon voice made everyone regain control over themselves, “Stop now!” Jiyong snarled at both of them, making Aigiel back off and SooJoo retract her fangs and hang her head low.

“We must be cautious. He might or might not be with Esh,” when SooJoo was about to retort, he shut her up with a look, “It’s a possibility we have to acknowledge if we want to stay safe,” SooJoo nodded at that but didn’t seem convinced.

“Who… who is Esh?”

The four demons turned to look at him. Seungri hunched back, intimidated by their looks because as much as he trusted them, having the whole attention of four strong and powerful demons would make anyone piss their pants. And Seungri felt proud enough he was keeping his , literally, together.

“The last person you want to ever come across. He is the leader of the extremist group at the north,” Youngbae explained.

“Our ex-boss,” Aigiel added, nonchalantly as usual.

“A real monster,” SooJoo added.

Jiyong for his part was capable only of answering with a violent growl.

“I see,” Seungri nodded. 

That was how Seungri learned about Esh group. How they operated on the north but had recently shifted their attention to recruiting new young demons to their purpose. How the attacks to the shelters had been a way to kidnap young demons, so they could train them and add them to their ranks.

“Why?”

“Our ranks were getting smaller. There’s been an uprising of extremist angels’ groups that fight for territory… and also the Alphas… they learn our tactics and movements and it gets harder to defeat them.”

Seungri shook his head. “No. Why did you join him?”

At that, the four demons stood silent.

Aigiel was the first to talk, “I didn’t have much choice. I think… none of us had much choice. We saw the group as a way to seek revenge, protect ourselves or just have a place to call home.”

“Do you hate angels?”

Youngbae and SooJoo shook his head. Aigiel shrugged. But Jiyong stood silent for a long while. The silence hurt Seungri more than it should.

“I… I don’t… can’t trust them,” was Jiyong strained answer, he stood up, looked at Youngbae apologetically and left the cavern.

“Jiyong’s history is different from ours. He has suffered many losses… Don’t take it personally,” Youngbae murmured at him with a soothing tone, patted the top of his head, and followed his friend outside of the cavern.

The days went by. Most of the time Jiyong and Aigiel would take turns keeping watch. Youngbae would teach Seungri things about demons and what their plans were as soon as the storm stopped. They were planning on moving far north, almost to the border. There was a hidden town where they could take shelter and where Youngbae’s brother had arranged to join them.

“We will move by walking. There are parts of the trail perfectly hidden for us to fly but for the most part, we will walk,” Youngbae explained to him while showing him the trails in red that Jiyong and he had marked days ago, “We’ll talk with my brother and see how to proceed next. Like how to erase those marks from your arms, why Jiyong has one when he is not part of the alphas and so on… There are many things we need to be answered and my brother might know more than us.”

“You are putting much effort on this…” Seungri muttered, biting his lower lip and grabbed his arm.

“It is not only because of you,” Youngbae scolded him with narrowed eyes, “We are helping Jiyong and also trying to make sense of everything else. Is not like you chose to have that mark on you. Don’t blame yourself, ok?”

“Ok,” Seungri gulped.

“Seungri,” a deep voi