"Don't let him get away!" a voice yelled in the dark forest, torches lighting up the thick trees and bushes as a group of men chased after the long haired boy.

Jeonghan looked back as he ran, eyes wide when he saw the hunters close behind him. They had found him earlier that evening hiding in one of the forest trees but eventually after searching with a torch, they were able to find him. They were relentless and persistent. Even after flying for a good distance, they seemed to always catch up.

Jeonghan could feel his lungs burning as he struggled to breathe, running as fast as his legs could carry him. His running ability was slower due to his leg being slightly injured, having tripped on a tree root before falling to the floor. His entire right leg was scraped up and bleeding.

He didn't know what to do. Jeonghan knew that he wouldn't be able to keep running for very long. After glancing behind him again, Jeonghan could see that they were catching up. He was limping, so his running was obviously slower. They were going to catch him.

Stopping dead in their tracks however, the men all started yelling and pointing when Jeonghan burst up into the air on large, white wings.

Jeonghan took off into the sky, his wings strongly flapping. It was hard flying in the forest, especially flying low near the treetops. It would take one branch to come into contact with his wing and he'd be spiraling to the ground in seconds, crashing messily.

That didn't happen however, to Jeonghan's surprise. He managed to get up over the trees at a distance where he knew he wouldn't run into any stray branches. He was the farthest he had been from the men all that day, gliding along, not hearing them anymore. Jeonghan finally felt safe, or at least safer than he had been.

Being up in the air was quiet and calming, especially at night when the moon and stars were his only friends. The black background made his white wings stand out beautifully, capturing the moonlight's gaze, his feathers shimmering delicately.

The peaceful flight was quickly brought to a halt however when a loud pop erupted into the sky. Jeonghan glanced around, unsure of what the noise was, until he felt a burning sensation in his left wing. Jeonghan grimaced and reached out to grab his wing, curling over with pain. 

When he realized that he wasn't flying anymore and was instead crashing and falling toward the ground at an alarming rate, Jeonghan gasped and spread his wings once more to attempt gliding and softening his fall, but his wings gave out and he smashed into the ground.

Everything hurt and stung. Jeonghan found it very hard to move. He had landed on his back, right on top of his wings, which felt crushed. With a wince, Jeonghan slowly turned to lay on his side, grasping at the ground to help him move. He could see that he was bloodied from the impact. Cuts ran up and down his arms, he could feel it running down his forehead from a gash on the side of his head.

Jeonghan could hear noises in the distance that were growing closer, and they were unnerving. Fearfully, Jeonghan pushed himself to lay on his stomach before attempting to stand. Despite how hard he tried, he was too weak to get up, plopping back down onto his stomach with his wings limply spread at his sides. Grabbing at the ground again, Jeonghan began to try and crawl, but he was stopped when he felt a boot stomp on his back. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, pushing his face into the dirt as he struggled with the pain.

"We finally got you." the gruff voice laughed, removing his foot from the middle of Jeonghan's back. "You thought you could get away?"

Jeonghan stayed still for a few moments before slowly pushing himself up, attempting to crawl away once more. His actions were met with laughter and he received a swift kick to the side. Jeonghan shut his eyes once more, curling up, his wings weakly moving to cover him protectively.

"This one is weak, not much of a fighter. Come on, let's bring him back."

Jeonghan fought back tears as he stayed there, mind racing with thoughts of what to do. He had no idea, no idea of how to possibly escape this time after running away for so long.

He could hear someone stop near his head and crouch down. Jeonghan opened his eyes to see what was going on, and as soon as he did this, one of the hunters grabbed him by the chin to examine his face.

"A little scratched up but it'll heal. He's a pretty one, will probably sell for a good price." he chuckled.

"Are you sure that's a boy? That's a pretty feminine face." another commented before snorting with laughter.

"I'm positive. The girl angels usually have smaller and more fragile wings. His wings are strong and his wingspan is long across."

Jeonghan stared up at the man who was holding his chin. He could feel his heart racing. He was debating whether or not to get up and flee again, but he was basically surrounded.

Jeonghan noticed a smirk coming to the nearest man's lips when he looked back at him. Jeonghan's eyes widened when the grip on his chin tightened.

"Let's pack him up, guys."

With a rough push, Jeonghan's head was slammed into the ground with a dull crack. He could feel his body losing strength and energy. The corners of his vision was beginning to turn black. Jeonghan loosely hung from the arms of the hunter who picked him up. He was desperately fighting to stay awake and cling to consciousness, but it was proving to be a strong task, as he wasn't strong enough.

Jeonghan's eyes rolled closed and everything went black as his unconscious body was placed onto the back of a wagon. With a crack of the whip, the horse began galloping forward out of the forest and onto the cobblestone street. The wagon of hunters began heading in the direction of the marketplace which was in the next town over. By morning, they'd arrive and be able to set up shop.

As the moon lowered and the sun rose in the sky, birds began chirping their happy songs as the town came to life. Townsfolk started doing their morning routines while their children slumbered, chores consisting of hanging laundry out on lines and preparing breakfast.

The marketplace was a booming place, regardless of the time. Even in the wee hours of morning, people from around the country were there to sell their merchandise or to buy from sellers, merchants, and artists alike who hoped to earn income for their craft. The market sold many different kinds of things. Food, such as homemade pies, cooked and dried meats, farm produced vegetables and fruits. For the art makers, they sold wooden carvings, paintings on stretched canvas, pottery, soaps, jewelry. Children often tried selling handmade dolls or toy weapons like wooden swords and bow and arrows, which humored the adults greatly.

The market was also well known for being the only market in the country that sold slaves. These weren't any kind of slaves though. They sold the Forsaken Souls, the humanoid creatures who were unlawful abominations, the magic users that terrorized innocent citizens. The Forsaken Souls were illegal, their kind didn't belong in towns. People were afraid of them, they thought they were less than them. Compared to a human, Forsaken Souls were dirty and poor monsters who belonged dead.

It was a growing epidemic, hunting down the Forsaken Souls. Most hunters sold them off to the rich saints and royalty who needed slaves, but a lot of hunters just killed them or used them for sport.

The busy sounds of people chattering were beginning to wake Jeonghan up. He opened his eyes slowly, getting used to the light that filtered through the bars of his cage. The first thing he saw when he fully opened his eyes was the metal of his cage that his face had been resting against, the cold grey floor on his cheek. Startled, Jeonghan lurched forward, springing to life. He glanced around fearfully with big eyes, reaching out to grab onto the bars of the cage.

No, no! Had he been captured? Jeonghan could feel his heart racing and his mind screaming. Where was he? Why was he in a cage? His body hurt everywhere. Jeonghan turned his head and noticed cuts and bruises all along his arms, and it alarmed him. He quickly reached up and touched his face, feeling his cheeks. He could feel a stinging sensation when his fingers brushed past a cut. He brushed his hair gently from his forehead, feeling dried up and crusty blood along the side of his face. Jeonghan didn't want to know what he looked like, but he probably looked horrible.

Jeonghan inspected the cage he was in, looking for a way out, but to his dismay, he couldn't find one. Slightly frustrated, Jeonghan hit one of the bars and it didn't budge, his hand hurting instead. He rubbed his hand and tried flexing his wings, but he couldn't move them. 

Jeonghan's heart jumped in his chest and he peeked back, seeing that his wings were tied up so he wasn't able to open them. At least he still had them, he knew of several angels who lost their wings after being captured by hunters and thankfully, he wasn't one of them. He could see a streak of blood coating his white feathers, which were dirtied with dirt and leaves after the forest chase.

Panicked, Jeonghan turned his attention to the audience who were watching him from the ground. His cage was set up on a wooden stage, an unfamiliar man standing next to him as he waved his arms enthusiastically, occasionally gesturing in his direction.

Jeonghan stared, unable to understand what he was saying. He met the gaze of the auctioneer, who smiled and cheered upon noticing that his subject had woken up.

"You'll see that he's tall and well built, despite having a nearly flawless face." the man laughed, "Don't mind his injuries, he's just clumsy. We've given him the name of Jeonghan, but if you win him, you're free to change it."

The auctioneer paused as he walked over to the cage. He leaned down and got close to the bars, causing Jeonghan to back up, scared. He stared at the man, not knowing what was going on.

"So, who would like to make the first bet on this fine angel?" he asked, reaching through the bars to run a hand gently through Jeonghan's hair.

Jeonghan flinched and stayed absolutely still when his hair was touched, eyes still staring at the man with mixed fear and confusion.

He felt relieved when the auctioneer walked off to start counting bids. Jeonghan touched his hair where the stranger had touched him, not sure what had just happened.

"Going once."

Silence.

"Going twice."

No one made a sound.

"Sold, to the young man in black!" after hitting the table with a wooden hammer, everyone began clapping, a noise that caused Jeonghan to jump.

Jeonghan peeked out of the cage as a man walked up and began talking with the auctioneer privately, the crowd slowly dispersing, only a few humans staying to continue watching him. Jeonghan wasn't sure what was happening, but he was terrified.

"And what would to like to name him, sir?" the auctioneer asked as he walked toward the cage, signed papers in his hand.

"Oh, Jeonghan is a good name." he nodded and looked to the auctioneer. "Thank you."

After signing each other's papers, the deal was sealed with a handshake and bow.

Jeonghan backed up against the bars of the cage when the younger looking man came over and leaned down to look inside. It was only for a brief moment however, the man turning to look at the auctioneer.

"He seems scared, can you give him something to calm him down for the trip back?" he asked.

"Oh, certainly." one of the hunters, who had been sitting behind the cage, stood. "We keep this stuff lying around so we can make creatures relax."

The hunter chuckled and a syringe of glowing green liquid, heading toward the cage.

Jeonghan watched and realized what was about to happen. He shook his head and moved away from the side the hunter was coming to, but the cage wasn't very big so he didn't really have anywhere to run or hide.

Even though Jeonghan struggled and tried his best to avoid the needle, with a quick jab, the needle pierced his calf. Jeonghan's fists tightened around the bars of the cage as he clenched his teeth together, the liquid pushing into his body.

When the hunter removed the needle, Jeonghan grabbed his leg. He could feel the liquid moving under his skin, it burned and itched horribly. He scratched his leg and looked up to glare at the hunter, but within seconds, he started feeling dizzy.

Jeonghan blinked slowly and tried hard to focus by staring down at his leg, but he was starting to see double, and eventually triple as his sight got blurry. He reached out and grabbed onto one of the cage bars, holding on tightly until his knuckles turned white as he slowly began slumping down to the metal floor, mind swimming out of consciousness once more. With a soft clang, Jeonghan's body fully relaxed and he crumpled uncomfortably onto the cage floor.

Jeonghan turned his head and crinkled his nose slightly, the light starting to wake him up. He could hear voices around him, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. They sounded close, but far away at the same time. His mind felt foggy and he couldn't concentrate. It seemed like someone was touching him, but he wasn't sure.

Slowly, Jeonghan's eyes delicately fluttered open. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to remember what all happened. Where was he? Jeonghan moved his head to the side, looking around. He was l