Chapter Text
“-and that is why Celine and Myong-wol are off to do something that I do not want to think about!” The youngest Chosen finished emphatically from her seat on the car hood.
“I see, that is indeed unfortunate.” Lafayette considered as finished loading the perishables into the trunk while he absorbed the story Sa Chère paramours had told.
The General in him was not pleased that Myong-wol and Celine would not be joining them. They were both potentially valuable pieces in keeping Sa Cher safe, both already loyal to a degree that probably outstripped his own. Their presence would have added layers of protection to Rumi, and given Lafayette the peace of mind to leave her side more regularly.
Yet as he beheld the tired young woman sprawled across Sarah’s vehicle with her Harmony on either side of her, she was blearily rubbing at the growing masses of keratin and bone that was waiting to sprout from her skull. Her patterns shone with a dimness that let him know just how worn the young Lord was. The sight of her caused Lafayette’s annoyance to wane.
He knew what it was to need distance from someone that had hurt you the way only a parent could.
Lafayette was reminded of the estranged relationship he held with the woman who had birthed him. A mother that couldn’t even be bothered to raise him. A demon who saw most humans as pawns. The strategist that had tried to instill similar beliefs in him, her half-human son.
At least Celine was doing something for her child. The woman would buy them time to get to their next goal, and perhaps further still if she could survive long enough.
“So, um, sorry to change the subject abruptly, but you mentioned New Orleans and Marie before Rumi had to confront her past.” Zoey pointed out as Lafayette considered how the news changed their plans.
“Yes. Marie.” Lafayette answered softly. “We need to discuss how to approach her. She does not like leaving her home, nor does she like other demons approaching her… Hunters might be worse.” He explained, remembering his own first meeting with the surly woman.
“How bad could it be?” Mira asked challengingly.
“When I first met her, she already had enough protections to nearly stymie my approach. If not for the relative newness of her defenses I might not have breached them, it has been fifty years since then. She has had all that time painting it with her Ash and ensuring her own safety.
“You know, while that does impart some dread, it doesn’t actually answer Mira’s question. Can you please tell us what we might need to expect?” Zoey said, a pinching tone to her voice adding to the annoyance he could see in her soul.
“Ah, apologies. Marie has imparted her magic into the swamps around her home. The plants, the animals, the mud and the water. All of it has been touched by her, becoming more than just a place of physical laws. To approach in any way but directly would risk the entire swamp rising to attack us with a focused will. Especially since we would all be perceived as threats to her existence.” Lafayette explained, just a touch sheepish.
“So, we just do what we did for you. Send me in.” Sarah offered up happily, causing Kayleigh to frown, an expression that was also on Mira and Zoey’s faces. Lafayette merely contemplated the tiny human who offered to go into the den of another demon. Her soul certainly shone with a reasonable amount of fear, yet she controlled the emotion admirably. True bravery instead of the foolish bravado Lafayette had seen time and again.
Kayleigh had found a good one, Lafayette reaffirmed as he smiled at Sarah.
“I hate how sending you into a free demon’s den is the best option we have, but unless we want her to show up swinging like she did when I first met her it really is the best option. Though maybe try and avoid mentioning me and just bring up Lafayette and her Ruminess.” The tall woman finally offered.
“Okay you are going to have to share about that Kay. What happened between you and this woman?” Sarah asked, which caused a twist of embarrassment and shame to play across the Kayleigh’s patterns.
“It’s partly because free demons try and keep out of each other’s territories at least if we’re being polite, and I broke that rule by accident when I tried to set up in New Orleans after I left Florida. The other part is I think I just piss her off by existing.” Kayleigh shrugged.
“Okay, more on that.” Sarah gestured at Kayleigh. “Both the parts about free demons and her hating you.”
“This is the part of the world demons come to, to escape the Courts. Keeping the company of other demons… we can feed into each other’s worst impulses, forget the little things that remain of our humanity. Some take the risk like when I spend time with Lafayette. But most stake out a claim on a city and keep out anyone else from their territory. As for why Marie hates me… It’s not like I meant to step on her toes.” Kayleigh sighed, throwing her hands up defensively.
“I suspect that she is not happy about the death of her pet Veil-beast.” Lafayette offered with a sardonic grin.
“Well, then she shouldn’t have sicked him on me! And how do you even know about that?” Kayleigh growled before whirling on him in confusion.
“She wanted me to shoot you. She misunderstood my role in keeping the demons of this land in check.” Lafayette supplied, Kayleigh nodded in understanding, but he could see the confusion on the faces of the Hunters. He realized they needed more of an explanation, “I kept demons of the other Courts out of America and offered peace for demons who fell to the sway of their old Lords. Other than that, it would be hypocritical of me to police them more considering what we all had to do to survive.” Lafayette replied.
“Besides if a Demons is stupid about keeping themselves fed, Hunters find and corrected the problem. Keeps the population of really psychotic demons in check.” Kayleigh added with a grim chuckle.
The Hunters winced.
“So just to be clear, we somehow need to get a defensive and angry hermit of a woman who actively hates one of us, to somehow leave her swamp so Rumi can give her a soul before learning more magic from her.” Mira summarized bitingly. “And our only good option for that plan is to send in someone who can’t defend herself." The pink haired woman gestured at Sarah, who glared in indignation, "Any reason we shouldn’t just let her come at us swinging if her home is such a fortress?”
“Besides the fact that we aren’t actually looking for a fight?” Zoey asked her fellow Hunter.
“Would that really make things harder? Honest question because it sounds like we might have to be prepared to deal with her taking an honest swing at us no matter what.” Mira asked as she looked first from Zoey then to the rest of the Gold Demons.
“Oh, it would, her Ruminess’s voice might get through to her eventually, but Marie can certainly fight it. I certainly did when I first heard you lot on the radio. Dusk I even managed a full concert without giving in. If Marie comes in ready to fight, she’s not going to be easy to sway.” Kayleigh offered.
“It is likely why our Cher has not created a larger Court already. Any demon of the other Courts you encountered where likely too focused on survival to see her hope as anything but death. I certainly would have fought harder had I not been blindsided by the effect.” Lafayette added.
“That’s… Kinda sad now that I think about it.” The younger Hunter said with a frown, reaching her hand out to link her fingers in Rumi’s free hand. Mira was crossing her arms as she looked between Lafayette, Kayleigh, and Beom. Weighing each of them by some measure Lafayette could only guess at, before the pink haired woman’s eyes locked onto something behind Lafayette.
“Well, at least Bobby is finally here.” Mira finally said as she pointed away from the group, towards a semi-familiar van that was not the rental car that Bobby had been driving before.
“They switched vehicles, smart. Rentals are all low jacked, and if you guys used your company to set things up it’s just one more way to track us.” Sarah smiled as the two upright hunters gave the smaller woman a look.
“Indeed. Though I would also like to switch that one out soon. Or at least it’s plates.” Lafayette muttered.
“We’ll ditch it when we get to New Orleans, for now we don’t have time to deal with all the paperwork in buying something else.” Kayleigh agreed.
As Lafayette watched the two Hunters start to usher Sa Cher into the idling van he found his thoughts drifting to a different piece of news.
The five comrades on the other side of the world. Five more demons he could not use to ensure Son bébé Flamme was safe. Lafayette wished them luck in whatever they were doing.
They would need it to survive in the heartlands of the Veil, almost as much as Lafayette’s group would need it to safely navigate the Blacklands.
Hunters never made anything easy for demons.
Tr/x
Hui-won was certain she should have been dismissed; she was only a junior Hunter. Just a girl who used to play acoustic covers of old songs that happened to be Hunter songs. Unlike the other big names in the meeting room, the five gold demons had been ushered into. Yet their Hui-won sat at the table with the demons, as Bong-cha and Ae-cha started questioning them.
She wasn’t sure she liked some of the information the demons were sharing. Or what it meant about some of the things she had been learning about. Provided of course the demons were actually being honest, something that was steadily being harder to doubt. At least for Hui-won.
“We call it the Magenta Court and the Court of Shame, because that’s what it is. You could also call it Gwi-ma’s Court. He rules only over the demons who bear that color on their skin. Each Color means a different Lord, our Gold as you can imagine means we owe our allegiance to the Lord of Hope.” Jinu had answered a question posed about his allegiance mostly casually. His patterns had flared mildly when he had spoken the name that Hunter records had named as The One True Lord of all demons. A mix of orange and sudden sharp magenta that had quickly been smothered by the warm gold that continued to shine from him in a way that Hui-won could only call hopeful.
They were all shining like that.
Jinu was seated in the center of his band mates, Baby and Mystery to his left. Romance and Abbey to his right with Hui-won seated next to the large red and gold demon. Across the table from them sat Bong-cha, Ae-cha and several senior Hunters that Hui-won was nervous just being in the room with. Not just the retired Hunters seated to either side Hui-wons mentor. Many more were standing, Idols that were beloved by the country stood on that side of the large conference room they had all crowded in. Most of them where glaring at the five demons the Honmoon had titled as it’s Knights. Hui-won hated that she was technically also under that glare, sat as she was beside the Demons.
“This runs counter to many Hunter records. We have always held that Gwi-ma was your ultimate master.” Bong-cha’s voice was level as she brought up what everyone in the room was thinking.
“Well, what can we tell you, this is basic stuff in the Demon realm. You figure out who serves who so you can spot the intruders in your Lords territory. Gives the demons who feel squeamish about eating humans something else to eat too.” Baby was the one who offered up that unsettling bit of information. The shaggy haired Mystery smacking the apparently pubescent demon lightly.
“There is in-fighting amongst the demon Courts?” Ae-cha pressed after giving the mostly human demon a searching look.
“The Lords are not a united front, though that might change. The Lord of Desire is moving. Before we jumped ship to the Court of Gold, The Scarlet Flame met with the Magenta, and she informed the entire Court about the existence of the Gold Flame. She is likely to do the same with all the remaining Lords. Maybe even some of the free demons that are angling to Ignite as well. She is powerful enough to waste the energy despite the Honmoon.” Jinu explained while scowling at his group’s Maknae with his right side.
“And this Gold Flame, your Lord of Hope is Ryu Rumi-nim? Our Chosen?” Ae-cha asked carefully. Avoiding the implications that Jinu had brought up.
“If she’s the one that the Honmoon has been telling us all is also called the Queen in Starlight amongst other titles. Then yes. She is by all means a demon on peer with the other Lords, yet completely different. Being dyed in her colors has changed many of the rules about being a demon.” Jinu nodded as he spoke, his patters glowing luminously as he spoke almost enthusiastically about one of the Honmoon’s chosen.
None of the Hunters in the room reacted well to the words of a demon confirming the American branches words. The were all likely feeling exactly like Hui-won. Scared, betrayed, angry, all awash with the faint hope that this had to be a dream or a lie.
The Golden Honmoon strands lighting up the room that wove through five demons in the same way they wove through the lead singer of Huntr/x only added to the unreality that made the hope stronger.
“How could that be? Surely the Honmoon would never accept a Dealmaker who had sold their soul.” One of the Hunters to Ae-cha’s left, Seomun Soo, declared hotly.
“You’re unfortunately wrong on that account. It happens so often that you Hunters have a classification specifically for them. The Lord of Desire calls them her Hopeful Dealmakers. I’ve heard tale that the Lord of Wrath has managed it a few times with a few people who had honest hope for a world in flames. But those are rare.” Jinu explained his expression open as he explained something that made Hui-won remember the words of Baby at the gate.
Shameful Hunter. The words taking new meaning as she and many others in the room put the pieces together about what this Demon speak was referring to too.
“Blasphemers. Blasphemers have been the result of Dealmakers?” Ae-cha’s voice somehow managed to be soft yet heard across the whole room as she spoke the word.
“That is the Hunter term, and also what the Flame of Hope called them. It's because she called them that, that the Scarlet is moving to if not unite the other Lords, at least point them all at the Gold.” Jinu nodded quietly. The golden strands of his patters dimming as he did so.
“Who is this Lord of Desire? I can assume that they are the demon who rules over the various demons in Europe with the Scarlet patterns. But why is she seeking to unite the Lords against Rumi?” Bong-cha questioned, focused intently on Jinu.
“The Scarlet Flame, a demon that inspired many of the myths of Europe. Her seat of power is far to the northwest. One of the Island nations, I think. At least that is the equivalent of its location in the human world. She currently prefers the moniker of Titania. I believe she has worn that persona since she commissioned a poet to write a play in her honor as part of both a Deal and to weaken the Honmoon in the English speaking world. She is one of the more powerful Lords due to how easy Desires are to grant.” It was not Jinu who started the explanation, it was instead the larger Abbey.
“She likely has her eyes on our Queen because she represents something the Lord of Desire has been attempting for three centuries. She wants to tap the Honmoon the way we have, the way we only can because we essentially offered what was left of our souls into servitude to the Lord of Hope.” Unlike when their Maknae spoke, there was no reprimand from Jinu for Abbey’s interjection. He just continued to add more things to worry about. “I was very honest when I said many a demon want to find a way to trick the Honmoon. It represents four hundred years’ worth of willingly given Soulfire, colored in Hope yes, but people always Desire the things they Hope for.” Jinu explained, his patterns flaring with the apparently dangerous color that somehow fed itself into his brightly glowing gold.
Hui-won watched the Hunter side of the room break out into furtive and layered whispers as the information circulated. She wondered how many of them had felt the yawning horror that Hui-won felt open within herself. There was almost too much to unpack from the information the demons were sharing.
“And you come by this specific information how?” a voice Hui-won recognized pushed. Hui-won knew she was in the room with several big-name artist, but hearing the lead vocalist of Korea’s second most popular girl group was jarring. The woman’s voice was tight as she stared at the leader of the demons.
“Some comes from our Mathyoung. Abbey here was around before the Honmoon was woven.” Jinu offered as he gestured at the large red demon who scratched his head sheepishly. “Other pieces of information come from my unfortunate placement when we were still bound in Shame. I was responsible for entertaining guests; it let me overhear things.” He continued wincing as he said this, his Patterns again briefly coloring with Gwi-ma’s color.
“Would that placement be why I recognize you, Jinu the Minstrel? Along with your companions, Chul-Moo the Butcher, Bit-na the Scoundrel, Juhyu the Shadow, and the newest member of your group Jun-young the Fallen.” Seomun Soo took over, glaring at each demon as she listed a name. Jinu, then Abbey, Romance, Mystery, and finally Baby. As she referenced something that Hui-won didn’t know. It caused the four-eyed demon to smile and laugh bitterly.
“You know, this is one of the rare times that a Hunter epithet has matched the Title a demon actually bears? Dusk, the other four never even held titles in the Magenta. I was indeed known by that Title within the Magenta Court… also my friends already gave you the names they wish to be addressed by. I understand we are demons but shouldn’t you be above such disrespect?” The four eyed demon asked, giving her an unamused look with all four of his eyes.
“The masterminds behind the Busan Tear.” A different Hunter said with a growl to their usually lyrical voice. Hui-won now understood a little better the naked hostility the room showed. Even she’d heard about that mess, even if she didn’t know anything solid about it.
“I wouldn’t claim any sort of credit there. Not only is it something that I can not in good conscious claim pride in as it was during my time as your enemy.” Jinu began his patters flaring a shade of violet as he talked. “But that incident was honestly not something I intended. We tripped over you as much as you tripped over us. The tear and the resulting chaos was just as much Gwi-ma taking an opportunity to try and kill as many Hunters as possible as it was us trying not to die.” The demon continued.
“Die, you mean be banished don’t you.” Yet another Hunter glared.
“Failure is not something Gwi-ma has been tolerant of, not since the first Chosen wove the Honmoon. Nor with his waning power. He’s still strong but he’s been losing ground to Fear and even Greed is poking about. If we hadn’t managed to succeed at least a little that night he’d have eaten Baby. Possibly Mystery as well just to make it hurt more.” Jinu offered as the two named demons flared orange as they the Honmoon rang with notes of comfort.
“So that gives you five a pass for killing all those people that night. We should just forget what you did and welcome you with open arms?” The lead vocalist growled out as a number of hunters nodded with her. Hui-won among them.
“… I can’t undo the past. Because you are right. We were monsters. It was the nature of being a demon. You serve your Lord or your serve your own half-existence. Even if we hadn’t been Gw-ma’s slaves that night we would have still struggled to survive simply because being banished is a painful process that tries to scatter what’s left of a demon’s soul into the Honmoon. If we’re powerful enough we can reform in the Demon Realm, but if we were already spent? It doesn’t help that some demons prowl the Realm, lost to their own Hunger preying on anything they can find. It’s why demons struggle no matter what the odds, not to be banished. Unless they are stupidly powerful, or are a beloved pet of a Lord, it’s always a gamble.” Jinu offered in a tone that Hui-won wanted to call regretful. It helped that the stands of gold weaving through all five demons’ souls was intoning mournfully.
“How can you trust that we have changed our ways? I can’t rightly tell you anything that makes up for anything I have done. Nothing I say will make any of you trust me any more than you’re already willing too. Words can’t fix anything I’ve done. Anything that the five of us have done. All I can really say is that we are here, under your sword. Willing to be better than the monsters we made ourselves in Shame.” He finished offering his arms to the room as the Honmoon sang for him. Sang of regret and pain, of souls lost in the dark who were genuinely trying. Of five lost and desperate fools that were bound to the Huntress in Gold by choice.
Hui-won couldn’t help but find the voices of Hunters past moving, and it was clear she wasn’t the only one. Yet she could not help the perturbed feeling in her chest when she registered that the voices sang from the souls of five demons. That the Honmoon loved these five with the same possessive flare that it showed for Rumi.
“… Be that as it may. You represent something we find difficult to believe. You admit freely the nature of Demons even as you ask us to trust that you five and the Lord you serve are different. Even though we have an estimated forty-two Hunters dead at the hands of those bearing your colors. I can not help but consider the possibility that discord amongst the Hunters is in fact your goal.” Bong-cha spoke from her spot, drawing the attention of the room. The five demons tensed as the eyes in the room turned towards them. Their patterns flaring ominously as the Honmoon chimed in mild alarm, until their leader spoke.
“I can admit that it is indeed a consequence of the changing times. It’s even something that the other Lords are likely to pounce on.” Jinu admitted sadly, his arms crossing as he sat. “Though I doubt it’s the intention of our Lord to cause this. As Hunter Ae-cha has said, the Queen has dedicated her life to being the ideal Hunter, if it was all part of some elaborate game, she would not be the genuine Lord of Hope. We, the five of us, would have to be genuinely okay with being sacrificial pawns in a grand game. Which if Busan is being brought up, at least has proven that we are attached to the idea of not dying.” Jinu pointed out.
“That brings us back to where we started before you tried to distract the room by pointing us at the other Lords. Before our Hunters lost themselves to their history with you personally. The Queen in Starlight is a Demon. Explain that please.” Ae-cha breathed out as she returned the room focus to the biggest elephant they were avoiding.
Jinu’s explanations were already something Hui-won knew she wanted to doubt. Hunter teachings demanding that she doubts the words of a demon. It would have been easy to just assume that his words were meant to sow chaos and discord. He had managed to distract the room easily enough with his words. Focused them away from his initial claim that Ryu Rumi was somehow both Chosen and Demon, all it had taken was once revelation with a slight relation and he had led the room away from it step-by-step until Rumi had become relevant to his defense.
“Ah, sorry.” The demon smiled as his patters flickered and his golden Honmoon strands played a mischievous note that made Hui-won doubt his words. “You all had questions and misconceptions. Thought it best to at least correct some of those before we poke at the mysteries of the Hunter in Gold. Make sure you understood that you already know what a twisted connection to the Honmoon looks like.” Jinu was at least half honest as he continued, the Honmoon continuing to chime along with his patterns that he had been caught.
“What our fearless leader also doesn’t want to admit is we at best only have a guess regarding the Queen.” Baby chimed in out of turn again, this time dodging the swipe from Mystery as he glared at the shaggy demon. before retaliating with a loud and obvious stomp that caused the white-haired demon to let loose an actual bark of pain, the sound loud and dog-like.
“Thank you, Baby. Yes that. We haven’t met the queen you see; our defection was brought about by a series of events that culminated in us hearing her sing with her two Courtier. The performance in the land across the seas. We call it the Blacklands, and I must admit I often forget its name amongst humans.” Jinu said in a hurried manner that when paired with the flaring in his patterns made Hui-won realize that the demon might actually be flustered.
“America. He’s talking about the DC show. We saw that over the internet and well Hunter songs work over recordings. It’s one of the things that helps you reach fans; it certainly made us fans of hers.” The demon Maknae answered with a mocking laugh. The more he talked the more he drew the attention of Ae-cha who continued to give the demon a sharp glare.
“Yes, thank you again Baby. Please stop helping.” Jinu rolled all four of his eyes to the heavens as he ordered the younger demon to be quiet. The named demon only stuck his tongue out at him and shot him a gesture.
“… and this explains the Queen how?” Ae-cha asked her eye focused on Baby despite asking the question of Jinu.
“It doesn’t, sorry. It’s context, we recognized her as the demon in the recordings, and from our brief near encounter in Busan. You all need to understand that her majesty is infamous amongst the Magenta. More than any Chosen save for the original three. Countless demons who’ve encountered her blade have been truly scattered and fed to the Honmoon instead of reforming in the Demon realm. Those who fall to the other two Chosen have described the way her Honmoon strands act. But no one put it together that she was more than just a Hunter because only a few demons have survived hearing her sing, and most of those don’t last long having failed Gwi-ma. We all assumed the Gold weaving through her soul was the sign that you all were about to trap us all in the demon realm. Only an idiot would have gotten close to that.” Jinu offered.
“Then why are you now certain she and the demon in DC are the same person. Honmoon aside, demons are known for their ability to assume shapes. Copying voices wouldn’t be new.” Bong-cha supposed to the room. A slight manic edge to her voice. As she tried to grasp the fantasy that they could go back to the way things were supposed to be.
“I told you already. The Golden Flame used Hunter terms to refer to demon things. She also closed a tear with starlight and song. Showing care for the human souls that the five of us long ago had to swallow down in ourselves just to survive. By the standards of demons, she is completely insane. With the amount of magic she wielded she should have burned herself out. Literally starved herself to death. But by Hunter standards she is everything you could want, she not only resealed the tear but reinforced it, the humans that would have died instead igniting in Gold to feed not her but the world itself. No demon, let alone a Lord, prior to her would ever do that. But a girl raised as a Hunter? That is what convinced us, tell me that even with patterns she not still acting exactly like she always has.” Jinu pointed out.
“As for how she has those patterns? Again, I must stress that I am making an assumption here, but she is likely a halfa. A Half-demon to be clear.” Jinu explained. “It’s the only thing the five of us can come up with that makes sense of all the information so long as it’s true that Mi-yeong the Chosen was indeed her mother.”
“Half-demons are a thing?” A voice rang out. Asking the question Hui-won had tabled in the restaurant. The voice echoing across the room that had fallen silent at Jinu’s words. She hadn’t gotten to question the theory before the call from Ae-cha had distracted her.
“Let me guess, you have no records indicating such a thing.” Jinu smiled sardonically before the silence stretched too long. Hui-won watched Ae-cha and Bong-cha share a complicated look as the demons radiated amusement at them. He did not wait for a response before continuing.
“They are much rarer now than they were in the days before the Honmoon was born. If you ever encountered one, you might have even mistaken them for someone who made a deal but had yet to be consumed. But in olden times, when the Lords still had free access to this world, they were a lot more common. If our guess is right, Rumi is the daughter of both a Chosen and a Demon. Chosen from infancy when the last generation shattered.”
“… Mi-yeong and a demon?” Seomun Soo asked, her voice sounding hollow and distant.
“It’s our best guess. But it’s also the only one that makes sense.” Jinu answered honestly.
“That leaves us in a very awkward position.” Ae-cha finally spoke. “It is confirmation of Song Nari’s claims that Ryu Rumi is a demon, chosen half-demon or not. Additionally, with Celine and another of your Court killing so many of our fellow Hunters in America, many will not look past the fact that you all are simply a different type of demon. Your connection to the Honmoon would only further incense tensions. Too many have died trying to keep the Honmoon safe from the hands of demons. That we are now choosing to shelter you despite four centuries of teachings…” She trailed off as she looked at the five demons.
“I can appreciate the gesture, and I would apologize for my fellows if not for the fact that it would probably sound hollow to your ears… I don’t even know the circumstances that would lead to their actions.” Jinu offered.
“We only know a little bit ourselves. Celine and a rather infamous demon, now bearing your colors, killed thirty-eight at an address we know Rumi-nim was at. The other four we don’t have a confirmation on other than the word of a former Chosen.” Ae-cha informed them. Hui-won felt herself stiffen at the news as the five demons absorbed the information with only a brief flaring of their patterns.
Hui-won had heard that Celine was declared a Blasphemer, but killing other Hunters? The woman who had kept South Korea safe after Gwi-ma’s forces had reaped a harvest on the eldest generation of Hunters? It was unthinkable to Hui-won. But the grim look on Ae-cha’s face told her that the information was being treated as real.
“Hmm, and it wasn’t either of the two demons that aided her majesty in the recordings?” Jinu questioned pointedly.
“No, Rumi and the two you called her Courtiers were not present. Celine was in the company of Myong-wol the Black.” Bong-cha said icily, to emphasize her point she pushed a button that projected an image onto a previously bare wall. It was a still image of Celine and the named demon, almost back-to-back. The gold clad demon was spitting something fleshy out of his moth as Celine swung a bloody sword into a charging man.
Jinu whistled in appreciation at the name. The other four demons perked up as the name and image registered across the room.
“Well, that is a catch. Gwi-ma’s going to be as pissed about that as he is at your defection, Jinu.” Romance uttered, clearly unintentionally, as his patterns flaring while he sank into his seat.
Jinu laughed at the words though instead of rebuking him.
“He will at that.” Jinu nodded as he grinned, for the first time not being careful about hiding his fangs. The strands of his Honmoon humming with anticipatory glee as his patterns turned a sickly yellow.
“I am assuming he has a reputation amongst demons that we are missing.” Ae-cha asked probingly.
“He’s a little older than me,” Abbey answered, “I knew him, or at least wroked with him a time or two, in the brief time he was a member of the Court. He wasn’t anyone special among the Magenta, no Title. But he did something infamous not just in the Court of Shame, but amongst demons in general. He overcame the emotions that branded him, all with Gwi-ma still whispering in his ear. Then he spent the next five centuries still in range of Gwi-ma’s voice, spiting him all the while.”
“If he wasn’t killing Dealmakers, he was ambushing isolated groups we snuck past the Honmoon. When he wasn’t just killing groups of us in the dark beyond the Magenta Flame.” Jinu continued.
“Not to mention the time he kept one of the Chosen alive, we almost got roasted for that failure.” Romance muttered.
“Wait? When did that happen?” Baby asked for the entire room as the Hunters all stared at the cat-like demon.
“Before your time, but not by much. It was what, twenty-six years ago? About three years before you died.” Romance answered the youngest demon, before he blinked and uttered something that reminded the room of Jinu’s wild claim,“… And the Chosen in question was Ryu Mi-yeong.”
“You might be on to something there,” Jinu replied before refocusing on the Hunters. “Regardless, I assume that there is a reason you are bringing this up.”
“Context.” Bong-cha stated, a touch of humor almost lost in her flat delivery. “The Hunters in other countries have the same information as we do regarding Celine. They have the footage of Rumi-nim’s true nature in the American capitol. Right now, every label that is firmly controlled by Hunters, are likely trying to scrub their hard drives of every song that Huntr/x has ever written. Their PR teams will be moving to engineer scandals as their song writers start composing tracks aimed at stirring the public against Rumi and any that stand with her. They will destroy her image even as touring Hunters are given orders to kill anything with a pattern, connection to the Honmoon or not. They will expect us to be doing something similar.”
“Phase her out and make her disappear. Won’t damaging the fans faith in her damage the Honmoon?” Jinu asked frowning as he reconsidered the image on the wall.
“It will, on a scale we can’t even imagine. But it’s the standard for when we discover a Blasphemer with an established following.” Ae-cha explained shakily as the room grew tense.
“That does not sound like a good solution when it involves one of the Honmoon’s focal points.”
“One of the many reasons why I am disinclined to follow standard practices in this situation. Not just because this is Rumi, but because this is Huntri/x. Destroying her in the standard manner might unravel everything.” Ae-cha said gravely. “So what do you suggest?”
Hui-won understood then that this was suddenly a lot more than she felt anyone could have been prepared for. Blasphemers had risen before, the apparent Dealmakers forging a strong enough fanbase to be truly dangerous. The trick to defeating those who twisted the Honmoon’s blessings had always been to attack them from that angle.
Take away the fans and the power they could draw on waned. Even if doing so meant unraveling a strand of belief and hope that kept the demons away.
“We can’t know the consequences of destroying the fans faith in the Chosen three. Not while they are still bound to it, but if it’s anything like the years after Mi-yeong died?” Ae-cha continued gravely. “We lost so many good Hunters in those years. Men and woman who couldn’t pass on their knowledge to my generation, Bong-cha and I lost our mentors, our leader, and so many friends in those days. Your former Court and in fact you four were part of that.”
“We were, it was the weakest the Honmoon had been since you lost the chosen to the demons of the Blacklands. Shame took the opportunity to gorge, and we did the same.” Jinu nodded as his patterns flared with magenta, the strands of his Honmoon intoning mournfully once more. “All the Lords did, and they’ll do so again if this happens.”
“Worse, he’s starving, a lot of the Lords are. They’ll manifest.” Abbey said ominously, his patterns filling with an orange tint that spread to the other demons.
“… do we even know what will happen to us if she dies?” Mystery asked as the Honmoon threads trembled in a tone that inspired worry.
“It looks like we agree then. Honmoon help us we need to find Rumi before the other Hunters can and get her safely back to Korea.” Bong-cha declared to the room.
“Along with the rest of her group, Zoey and Mira are still in America looking for her, might even be with her if that recording meant anything.” Ae-cha added in tiredly. Referring to something Hui-won didn’t know about.
“Have you tried calling any of them?” Baby asked in confusion.
“We have, multiple times. They’re not answering, and last we checked they seem to be moving deeper into America.” Ae-cha replied.
“Wait, how can you check that?” Jinu asked in confusion as the group of older demons all turned to their Maknae.
“Human internet thing. They check the position of the phone which is naturally always plugged into the network and on its owners person. Thus they know where they are. Kinda like our connection to her but much more refined.” Baby explained, the four older demons looked mystified.
“And every human just consents to this? Is there a Lord of this Internet?” Abbey asked as he turned to look at Hui-won with a look of confusion. It made her feel defensive that a demon was judging her for having a perfectly ordinary device when he had sold his soul six hundred years ago for unknown reasons.
“We do. It is a convenience that much of the world has agreed is necessity of the age. And no there is no Lord.” Ae-cha said, saving Hui-won from the judging look.
“… Has anyone tried contacting Celine?” Jinu asked carefully, earning a flinch from most of the Hunters in the room.
“We have not. Her crimes where too shocking for us to consider it.” Bong-cha replied.
“Considering you know what backing the Flame of Hope means, and the company she keeps. Perhaps she hasn’t so much as committed a crime as taken an offensive action.” Jinu said smoothly, bringing up something that Hui-won and every hunter here was avoiding thinking about.
They were going to have to kill their fellows to defend Rumi. So long as the other Hunter tried to strike down anything with Patterns that would include those that the Korean branch was now sheltering. In technical terms they were knowingly aiding demons, Hunters who did that were to be treated with the same decisiveness as Blasphemers. Any branch that did not fall in line was going to have to be cut in the defense of a girl Hui-won hadn’t even properly met.
Hunter doctrine said Rumi needed to die for the patterns on her skin, but Hui-won’s own connection to the Honmoon felt like it would break at the thought of raising her sword against the woman now that she knew everything.
So long as they believed the words of five other demons and the gold weaving through them.
“I do not see what good it will do, but fine.” Ae-cha replied to Jinu as she pulled out her phone and broke Hui-won from her spiraling thoughts. The room waited as the speakers in the room connected with the phone and the sound of ringing filled the room as they waited for Celine to duck the call.
Hui-won knew that’s what Ae-cha had expected to happen, because of the look of absolute shock that appeared on her face when the call was picked up and Celines voice echoed into the conference room.
“Why the hell did you hit answer!? You were supposed to hit decline!” the sharp voice growled at someone.
“What does it matter Hunters are Hunters and you want their attention, no?” A different voice asked tiredly.
“That’s a Korean number! Not an American, this doesn’t help us!”
“Celine you do realize that I can hear you arguing with who I presume is Myong-wol, right?” Ae-cha asked with a hint of mania in her voice.
“… So I guess I am doing this today as well. Hello Ae-cha, I presume this call is an attempt to get me to come home quietly. Or are you going to tell me to turn myself over to the closets American?” Celine questioned almost playfully if not for the tired edge that came through even over the phone.
“Something of the former really, along with the hope that you managed to find Rumi-nim and the rest of Huntr/x and can safely bring everyone home.” Ae-cha breathed out quickly.
Silence filled the line, allowing the room to realize through the background noise that Celine was driving somewhere.
“… You can’t ask me to allow Rumi to come to harm Ae-cha. I know what you must be thinking, but she is not like the others, she’s something else entirely. She’s safer on the move.” Celine’s voice finally replied, firm in her denial.
“Do not be stubborn Celine, this isn’t just Ae-cha asking you this of you. It’s all of us! You’ve always taught us to trust in the Honmoon, to trust in the connection it has with Rumi. I, no we are all shocked by this. I want so very badly to believe that this is some trick being played on us, some scheme to tear us all apart, but it’s real isn’t it. Rumi is of demon stock.” Bong-cha never raised her voice as she spoke into the phone, but Hui-won could hear the tremble as the older woman’s emotions fluctuated. Her breathing was sharp yet with a deep breath she continued. “She is a demon, she has the patterns and you are willing to kill to keep her safe from other Hunters. Yet she is still the Honmoon’s Chosen. So please Celine. Help us bring her home, so that we don’t risk others doing exactly as you fear.” Bong-cha finished fiercely.
For a while the line was silent before the former Celine’s voice returned.
“…Bong-cha, even you? You can’t be serious. I’m literally working with one of our greatest enemies right now! Why are you willing to side with me?” Celine asked, pleaded even.
“Does she not know she’s speaking to an entire room full of Hunters?” Jinu asked of Baby. His voice loud enough that Hui-won got the feeling he didn’t understand how calls like this worked.
“Ae-cha, Bong-cha. When you said it’s all of us… how many people are listening to this call?” Celine’s voice had the manic edge to it that told her she was just as panicked at this situation as Hui-won and most everyone in the room felt.
“Everyone of note Celine, there are a few more who aren’t here but I suspect they’ll fall in line… plus we have some guests. They are largely responsible for why we are not reacting in panic as Song Nari is. Though I think we all understand why she and other Hunters might react… negatively to Rumi and those like her without the experience we had with her before we knew the full details.”
“… You have Gold Demons with you somehow, don’t you?” Celine asked with a tired sigh.
“Don’t fault us for something you are doing as well. We are merely following your example, Now please. Tell us you can get Huntri/x to come home. We can keep her safe.” Ae-cha was pleading at the end.
“… She doesn’t want to be around me, but I at least know where she and the others are headed. You must promise me that you and whoever you send to fetch them will keep her safe. Nari isn’t going to let Rumi live if she gets to her first, so promise me.” Celine replied.
“We promise Celine. The Queen in Starlight will be safe with us.” Ae-cha promised easily.
“Did the Honmoon just whisper that name to everyone it could?” Celine asked with something like humor in her tone.
“It did. No one wanted to bring it up since it was clear to us that the girl didn’t know it was doing that. It also frankly unnerved the hell out of most of us that the Honmoon loved her so much to speak in actual words. But you always taught us to trust in it, so patterns or not we are going to trust in the fact that the Honmoon loves that girl. Now please let us protect her.” Bong-cha admitted frankly.
“And here you were, worried that nowhere would be safe for her.” The voice of Myong-wol teased.
“… New Orleans. Last I heard, they were headed to New Orleans for reasons I can’t understand. You can use your Gold Demons as dousing rods if you get them close enough.” Celine finally answered, causing many of the Hunters to look at the five demons in the room with them.
They looked sheepish as the Honmoon chimed happily in a way that Hui-won interpreted as affirmation.
“That is a very bland way of defining a demon’s connection to their Lord, but it is at least accurate.” Myong-wol sniped at Celine.
“Get to her and the others. Use your demons to make the approach. She has an incredibly protective demon on her side that is likely to react negatively to anyone not immediately identifiable as on Rumi’s side. He’s fast and even managed to get the drop on me.”
“We’ll bring her home in time for the Idol Awards, Celine.” Ae-cha promised as she looked at the nodding form of Jinu, before the senior hunter redoubled her focus on the phone.
“But I need to also ask about you. You are under just as much threat as Huntr/x. Are you going to be able to safely make your way home?” she asked the former Chosen.
“… It’s probably for the best that I don’t answer that. When Nari contacts you, and she will, you can claim ignorance of my actions. You can even be honest about sparing no expense to find Rumi. It should throw her off enough for her to misunderstand until it’s too late for her to reach Rumi. She should already be off balance and focused on me.” Celine replied quickly.
Hui-won realized that this was probably bad considering the paling faces of Ae-cha and Bong-cha.
“Celine please don’t do anything reckless.” Ae-cha said firmly.
“Rumi needs to be safe. Anything else is secondary. Good-bye Ae-cha, it was a pleasure knowing you.” Celine said finally. Before the call ended abruptly.
Hui-won might not have personally known the woman that had kept the Korean Hunter community together, but even she didn’t need familiarity to understand what the senior hunter was planning.
The image of the woman wielding her starlight against other Hunters was still on display. It said more than anything else could.
Tr/x
“… I’ve handed Korea over to a Demon Lord.” Celine said brokenly as she continued driving Bobby’s rental. She wanted desperately to lean her head against the wheel and scream in incomprehension, but she couldn’t because she was currently doing 90 down the interstate as Myong-wol clung tightly to the hand bars. She’d switched vehicles with him to accommodate the larger group he’d be a part of and to further confuse their pursuers.
Celine supposed that it would at least make it harder for the Americans to find Rumi. That was at least a good thing in her mind. She found herself needing that little victory considering the mixed emotions she now felt after what she had just learned from Ae-cha and Bong-cha.
“Is that not a good thing considering your own support of her?” The Rat asked unhelpfully.
“It’s the principal of the matter you bastard!” Celine grumbled. “I thought I had trained everyone better than this!” she continued.
“… You are unhappy that Hunters do not want to kill Rumi?” he pointedly asked.
“Don’t you dare put words in my mouth!” Celine spat back as she glared at the Rat. “I’m relieved that somewhere is safe for her. It’s everything I should want!”
“Especially with all the work you put in to ensure that the older generations would not be a problem.” Myong-wol smirked as Mi-yeong chimed a mournful reproach.
“The work we did. You certainly got more of them than I did.” Celine returned unhappily as the Rat forced her to recall the hardest work she had put in to get the hunters to trust in Rumi’s connection to the Honmoon.
Nari had not been the only Hunter suspicious of the infant’s connection, even if she was the only one who had seen the patterns on the baby’s skin. It had been one thing to convince the younger Hunters to trust in the golden strands weaving through Rumi, but many old Hunters had been unwilling to trust in what Celine did. They had seen too much on tour, had dealt with too many Blasphemers to not question a difference in the Honmoon’s connection.
They had required too many answers, had pushed too hard in their search, had drawn too close to the truth. Celine couldn’t risk them discovering what Nari had, not when tradition would demand Rumi’s life. So instead, Celine had removed the problems from the equations. Her hands were already stained in the blood of the Chosen, twice over. To keep Rumi safe had been worth more blood.
Then and now.
“Then be thankful. You have laid the groundwork for Rumi’s safety. And now you are doing what you must to ensure her safety. Do enough of this and I might even start to respect you.” Myong-wol smiled as he reminded her of what she was currently doing.
“What makes you think either of us is going to survive this?” Celine replied easily as she considered her destination. Philadelphia wasn’t where Nari was currently, but the woman couldn’t afford to keep all of her Hunters in New York considering the size of America. It would have to do.
“I do not expect either of us to die in this next skirmish. Nor the next, nor when your plan sees you to burying your blade in Nari’s heart as you should have done twenty-three years ago.” The rat said easily as the Honmoon started to plead with Mi-Yeong’s voice. Celine could almost hear the words as the ghost of a woman begged them to stop. “I plan to walk away from this, you possibly half-dead in my arms, but alive. I have something to live for, even if you are planning your own funeral.”
“It’s what I deserve.” Celine whispered.
“It is. One day I even hope to speak ill of you during it.” The rat smiled at her viciously. “But like I told my daughter, that will not happen until you die alone, old and bitter. Until then, enjoy your time on this earth knowing that you are the worst sort of human trash, the arch traitor of the Hunters who is going to kill to protect a demon.” Myong-wol’s smile showed his many fangs as he sounded warm.
“At least I can count on you to remind me of that you Rat bastard.” Celine smiled ruefully as she continued driving. Knowing that for once Myong-wol was speaking the truth. It was a strange sort of comfort to be had in knowing that for once he wasn’t lying to her anymore.
It made her self-loathing easier to deal with.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure with the both of us working together we can really infuriate her. The longer we can keep Nari’s ire upon us, the better chance Rumi will be able to return to the kingdom you set up for her. If I’m supremely lucky you’ll even draw Nari herself out into a confrontation.” He added.
“You’d just love that wouldn’t you.” Celine muttered as she glared at her companion.
“I would. I would find great joy in seeing you win that fight, because I know how much you’ll hate yourself after. The only thing I’d love to see more, is the moment my daughter tears the Lord of Shame apart and scatters the Magenta Court to the ether.” The demon admitted easily.
Celine considered the thought and indeed did find comfort in it. Rumi would be safe, her Harmony and her Court were there to provide immediate protection and the Hunters of Korea were choosing to still believe in that same connection that had blinded Celine. A future where Rumi defeated Gwi-ma and whatever other Lords existed was indeed possible. Rumi would complete the mission of the Hunters in her own way, and it was up to them to help her do it.
Celine would buy Rumi that time. It was the least Celine could do for her after failing her yet again. She might even live to see her again if Myong-wol could be trusted.