Chapter Text
The spring sky had been bright for days, a vibrant blue with thick clouds, the most perfect tufts of white. It had brought ample sunshine, which had forced every budded flower to bloom and had lured people out of their houses. The afternoons, spent drinking tea out in the streets with groups of villagers basking in the warmth of the sun, had instilled a liveliness in the people that had been absent since the ghastly murder, committed weeks earlier.
The dark days of winter had isolated society, and the discovery of a dead girl near the woodland border in late March had struck terror into the hearts of those too weak to protect themselves. Thus, it was a joyful occurrence seeing people reconnect, and the vivaciousness that hung in the air was so infectious that Baekhyun felt his heart grow bigger with each passing day.
The twenty-year-old had made the very most of the fair weather, delightfully promenading up and down the pathway along the river on the daily. Sometimes he would watch the village from atop the hills, while other days he would wander through crowded streets and waste money on local produce. And once a week, he would travel even farther, towards the woodlands, to find his grandmother’s farm.
His visits to her had been just as warm and nostalgic as the heat of the sun, and they had made him miss his younger years. Each time he would see the little cottage come into view, he was reminded of when he still used to live with her. Of waking up early to feed the chickens and fetch their eggs, getting sunburnt while frolicking around in the maize field, and picking wild berries until the sugar rush would leave him a giggling mess. Life had been much simpler back then than it was now, with him hidden away in some desolate hanok miles away from the village he had grown up in.
Leaving the palace was never easy; he had to travel long and far to reach civilization, let alone make the journey to his grandmother’s, yet Baekhyun did not regret leaving behind his old life. Despite the imperfections, he knew he had made the wisest decision he could have made. He was content with living this way.
The spring sky had been bright for days, but April was known to be defiant, and conditions could change quickly. Baekhyun sensed it in the air that day, had this unremitting premonition that the weather would shift, and so he reluctantly headed home instead of continuing down the hill.
And he was right.
That late afternoon, the clouds grew dark and angry with the sun, seizing power over the sky, and Baekhyun returned home the moment the first gleam-drops of silver had found the dry earth.
He rushed inside, throwing open the windows to let in the fresh air and welcome the sound of rain trickling down the roof rafters. He undressed to the rhythmic melody, working on the tied strings of his durumagi as he dallied around the room and let the crisp air caress his skin.
By the time he had changed into different robes, lighter and thinner than the ones he had worn before, the earth had turned from a soft burnt orange to a bright terracotta, and the floodgates of heaven had opened.
The rain was incessant, striking the ground like arrows being shot from a chongtong, and Baekhyun watched it come down from the safety of his spot at the window, his side resting against the wall and knees pulled up to his chest.
The roof was protecting him from the curtain of shimmering water that was falling from the sky, and a gentle breeze played with his hair, bringing some relief to the heat that still lingered in his room. As he inhaled deeply, the smell of rain filled his nose, reminding him of mud fights and dancing under the falling leaves of a gingko tree. If he tried hard enough, maybe he would be able to recall the face of the former friend he used to do those things with. Maybe.
At that moment, Baekhyun only saw the beauty of the natural world. He breathed in that distinct smell of baked-earth and soil, got lost in that glittering splendour of a downpour, and felt the power of mother nature thrumming inside of him.
Crackling electricity was palpable in the air, as if awaiting the right time to strike. It acted like a forewarning of something dark to come, whatever that may be. However, despite his gut feeling, Baekhyun had a sneaky suspicion it would actually bring him fortune.
He would be arriving soon.
Their meetings were never prearranged. Nonetheless, there was a pattern to them that Baekhyun had come to know in the six months he had lived there. He would be visited every Wednesday without fail, after the meeting of the six ministries, and sometimes on Sundays too. But beyond that, Baekhyun would always, always , be called on after bad news.
He did not understand why he felt it today, this gloomy downheartedness, but something told him the rain bore a message. Some unfortunate revelation that had sent the sun into hiding, spilling its tears from the heavens.
It was why the knock on his door, interrupting his daydreaming, was wholly expected. He had been awaiting it, perhaps all day, and when he got to his feet to bid welcome to his company, he slipped into a role so familiar he did not even need to think.
He was no stranger to the commotion that ensued when multiple guards entered his room at once and took their rightful places along the walls. He was so acquainted with their exact ritual, knowing exactly what they were looking for, that he simply cooperated.
The friendliest guard of all, Kyungsoo, sent him a small smile before he started his thorough inspection of the room, needing to ensure there were no possible weapons concealed anywhere.
Baekhyun stretched out his arms when Kyungsoo reached him, allowing the guard’s hands to run down his body to confirm he was unarmed as well. The man did not linger anywhere, only lightly tapping him down to look for any bulky objects, and once he had approved everything and cleared the room, the guards all took a step back and straightened their positions.
“Enter his royal highness, the crown prince,” Kyungsoo called out, using his most noble tone, and the doors opened precisely a second later.
The crown prince, or Yi Geum as Baekhyun was allowed to call him, had been stripped of his coat and boots in the entrance hall. But even without them, he was completely drenched from head to toe, dripping water onto the floor.
The uncharacteristic sight caused Baekhyun to gasp, and he knew with one look that misfortune was indeed the reason for Yi Geum’s impromptu visit.
Dressed in riding gear, and with a frown marring his otherwise handsome face, the prince stepped inside the bedroom. He looked troubled, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and Baekhyun had to fight the urge to take a step back. He blinked, feeling sorrow settle deep in his gut, but he knew right now was not the place to reveal it. It was his job to serve the crown prince, to prioritise his happiness and improve his mental and physical wellbeing. Without it, the country would suffer a loss of prosperity, and he would have to live with that being his fault.
As was expected of him, Baekhyun fell to his knees to address the man by his full title. “Your royal highness, it is an honour to receive you.”
He bowed with all the respect he held for his future monarch, honouring the customs of the palace in front of the crown prince and his guard. They were purely formalities by now, but Baekhyun upheld them because he wanted to. Because his grandmother had taught him that good manners would get you far in life, even though Yi Geum always reminded him there was no need.
The man had a weakness for the pretty boy at his feet, and so in spite of the evident distress that had carried him there, a small smile tugged at the prince’s lips the moment he stepped deeper inside Baekhyun’s chambers.
For half a year now, the younger had been the crown prince’s concubine. One of three, Baekhyun knew, the other two being beautiful, more distinguished women that he could never surpass. They lived closer to the prince’s quarters than he did, but he knew they were not visited nearly as often.
The prince enjoyed sex with men as much as with women, but he only had one male concubine. Naturally, it meant Baekhyun got bedded more than any of the women, though jealousy prevented them from seeing reason. They excluded the youngest from their private gatherings, stating he was not welcome at a women’s affair, while in reality, they rejected him because they envied him.
Rivalry among consorts was a significant factor in his overall lack of friendships within the palace, but Baekhyun could not find it in himself to care. He was not here to drink tea with Yi Geum’s other concubines, nor to live a lavish royal life. He was here to serve his country and his future king, and through it, keep his grandmother alive.
“My dearest, get up,” the crown prince was extending a hand to him, and Baekhyun took it so he could gracefully get to his feet.
“Thank you, my prince,” he murmured, keeping his gaze as low as it had been that very first day they had met.
Yi Geum had picked him out of the crowd that fall, when all the farmers of the nearby villages had travelled to the palace to present their harvest to the king. The young man’s beauty had made him stand out, and he had been brought back a week later and offered a place among the prince’s ranks.
That was how it had started.
After that day, Baekhyun had left behind his grandmother and moved into a hanok on palace grounds, all because the crown prince desired it. He took lessons on etiquette, learnt everything there was to know about sex and pleasing a man, and then welcomed Yi Geum into his bed. He let the crown prince take his virginity, let his inexperienced body grow used to the shape of another man’s, and allowed lust to guide their every shared moment.
“You are dismissed,” Yi Geum’s heavy voice was low, but loud enough for his guard to perceive. They all bowed to him, even though the prince’s back was turned towards them, and then filed out of the room without another word.
For a moment, silence lingered between the two of them. A silence in which anguish returned to haunt the prince’s beautiful face, and Baekhyun wanted so desperately to reach out and touch him, but he had not been given consent.
It came only a second after, as a soft sigh escaped his lover’s lips, and Yi Geum took his hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss it, “Baekhyun-ah, please care for me.”
It was the permission he had been waiting for, the words he had needed to hear to press closer and engage in a welcoming kiss that had him shiver with longing. His hands found the soaked fabric hanging off Yi Geum’s frame, expertly undoing clasp after clasp and button after button while he allowed the prince to explore his mouth with his tongue.
He helped Yi Geum step out of his robes, revealing the second-most sacred body in the land, and Baekhyun let his hands rest on a damp chest while he waited for further instructions. His eyes roamed across the prince’s face, searching for answers to what he desired from his lover, and he felt himself grin as the taller pressed their noses together and uttered a simple request.
“Undress for me.”
Baekhyun knew what that meant. He knew it was different from the ‘get naked ’ the crown prince used on other occasions. These words, they told the concubine he was supposed to slowly reveal his body to the heir expectant, provoking him so as to awaken that fire; that lechery, that would lead to their bodies connecting in a passionate act of sensuality.
It caused goosebumps to rise on his arms; the startling realisation that his every movement would be observed by the prince. Yi Geum would be staring at him with the same dark, lustful eyes until he could behold all of Baekhyun’s body, soak up its loveliness and indulge in it until he was satiated.
Slowly, the younger undid the ties of his robes, grateful he was dressed in nothing but one layer of fabric. It allowed him to slip the soft white cotton down an arm, exposing a broad yet smooth shoulder that had never been kissed by the sun the way it had been kissed by the prince.
He forced himself not to think, for he could get lost in his mind easily, and instead he let the robe slide down even further. It bared his lean chest and soft belly for Yi Geum to drink in, and only once the tingle in his stomach had dissipated somewhat, did he allow his gown to fully fall to the floor.
Outside the hanok, the wind seemed to pick up, as if it was howling at his nakedness. The rain accompanied it, thrumming against the roof a little louder, and when Yi Geum gently led him to the bed, Baekhyun inadvertently noticed how it was pouring outside.
It did not matter if the windows were open, no one would wander this corner of the palace grounds, let alone be out in a downpour this heavy. But if, by a quirk of fate, anyone were to see them there, they would be welcome to watch.
The two kissed while their bodies slow danced across the room before sinking down onto the floor, finding home on the silk mat. The sheets were a soft yellow, as lovely as the forsythia in bloom outside Baekhyun’s window, and decorated with beautiful golden flowers. It was one of the perks of being a concubine; always sleeping in sheets fitting for royalty.
Easing into them was like slipping into a soft cloud, one that hid them away from the raging storm outside, and Baekhyun exhaled happily as he settled against Yi Geum’s body. The prince’s hand was wrapped around his waist, palm pressed to his back, and they kissed some more before the air grew heavy with expectation.
Hot arousal pooled in Baekhyun’s gut as the crown prince’s cock grazed his hip, and his fingers moved between their bodies to brush along the shaft while he asked, “what do you want from me today, my prince?”
It was his task to ask, to seduce the future monarch and make him feel as special as the gods had crowned him to be. He would worship at the man’s cock, suck it or allow it to penetrate him however often Yi Geum pleased, but only after being told to. It was not up to him to want anything in return.
His lover watched him, how demurely he had asked when they both knew he was anything but, and his answer was meant to expose exactly that fact.
“Want to put a baby in you.”
The crown prince’s words, as scandalous as they were, did not come as a shock. He had been trying to get Baekhyun pregnant for weeks, knowing that to ensure the future of his bloodline he would need to father many children, and the sooner he would start the better.
The spot of bother was that, being a male, Baekhyun’s womb was not as amenable to making babies as a female’s. It had not been broken into yet, despite various attempts by the prince, and even once it would be, there were still many complications that could terminate a pregnancy early on. It was the reason why women were predominantly the ones giving birth, even though the current king, Yi Geum’s father, encouraged male pregnancies equally as much.
Baekhyun intended to carry the future king’s baby, he desired it, and he hoped being patient enough would be the key to success.
He knew his life could change at any given moment, just like it had that day when Yi Geum had spotted him in a room full of commoners exactly like him. He had to have been chosen, picked out from the crowd, for some fated reason. There had to be a purpose for him to fulfil, and he was certain it had to do with pregnancy.
There was not a doubt in his mind that this was destined to happen, so why put off the inevitable?
“Please, do it, your highness.”
Baekhyun kissed his lover’s jaw, breathing in his scent mixed with the smell of the rain. He thought of the implications of their words, of what was necessary to try and open his womb, and he smiled because he did not at all mind.
“Does that mean you wish for me to be on top?”
His flirtatious comment got the prince to huff, and with one wild, assertive move, the younger was hauled on top of the man’s strong body.
“I will take that as a yes, then.” Baekhyun came to rest there, against a sturdy torso while he caught his breath and hid his reddened face against the prince’s neck. Yi Geum held him close, caressing him like he was a most treasured possession, and growling as if he could hardly contain himself.
It made Baekhyun feel so incredibly desired, as if he was the one with the royal title instead of the man underneath him. But it was Yi Geum who wore the crown, holding power even while he was being straddled like this.
“Don’t act so smug, my dear,” the prince told him, squeezing the younger’s hips hard enough to bruise.
Realising their position, Baekhyun allowed his knees to firmly dig into the mat for stability. His hands found the silk on both sides of the prince’s head, but he stayed motionless a little longer, waiting for his senses to return to him before he gently sat himself up. He could feel the prince’s cock against his ass, the hardened length reminding him of what the man had come for, and the thought was enough for Baekhyun to turn off everything else and focus solely on getting his body ready for sex.
There was no love between him and Yi Geum, only an incredible fondness and far too much sexual desire, which was why he managed to get wet for the crown prince even without the emotional attraction. It helped that the man was handsome, far more so than any of his brothers. In that matter, Baekhyun had truly come out on top.
The crown prince was charming, and his smile would get any eligible person to swoon for him. Baekhyun had no doubt he would end up with more concubines in the future, and that he would become a good king once he’d come to power, better than his despicable father, because he ruled with his heart above anything else.
If he would have been able to choose who to love, he would have picked Yi Geum. It would make all the sense in the world to love him: a king to be remembered for all eternity, a man humble and kind. Yet one could not force the heart to hold someone dear, no matter how much they wished for it to.
He told himself it did not matter he would spend his life not knowing love. Perhaps it would come with time, and if not, then at least he could find love in different forms. He could find it in a child, raising a prince or princess that one day might follow in their father’s footsteps. After all, that too would be love.
Yi Geum’s hand found his belly, palm pressing against the skin, and he sighed longingly as he looked up at Baekhyun with intense eyes, “I cannot wait for your womb to allow me in. You’ll look so pretty carrying my child.”
The touch, along with those words, acted like a catalyst. They made him throb with neediness, whimpering softly as he ground his hips down against Yi Geum’s pelvis. The prince could not wait, wanted him knocked up, and that made two of them.
A few more kisses and the friction of a hand around his cock got him so wet that he could not hold back any longer. He moved up the crown prince’s body so he could reach for the oil, and he whined when the man kissed his hip while he leaned over him.
Yi Geum adored the sounds he made, and he grinned when Baekhyun crawled backwards, sitting down on his thighs this time. It gave the younger space to worship his cock, to oil it well so penetration would be easier to endure.
Baekhyun did not know whether the crown prince was gifted, had never seen another cock in his life, but he was bigger than the concubine himself. It made sense, for the younger was gifted with a womb when the prince was not.
“I am just as eager to carry, my prince.”
Baekhyun knew he was able to, royal physician Oh Sehun had confirmed it the day he had shown up to the palace and promised himself to Yi Geum: he had a womb and therefore able to produce an heir. The issue was that, with the entrance of his womb being far up in the anal canal, it was incredibly difficult to locate, let alone open. They had tried, multiple times over the past two months, but it had brought a lot of frustration for the both of them.
They knew it was a matter of time, and that luck had to be on their side, yet Baekhyun felt like his body was deficient. He should be fertile, being so young and healthy, and the fact that after all this time Yi Geum had not even been able to locate his womb with his cock, it was stressful.
And yet he dispelled those unfavourable thoughts as he sank down on the crown prince’s length, feeling his belly swell with how full he was. He was not going to let this break his spirit, and so until a baby would find home in his body, a cock would have to suffice.
“You feel warm,” Baekhyun whispered as he brought their noses together, gently rocking his hips back and forth to get used to the feeling of being stretched open.
Yi Geum pecked his lips, his hands on the younger’s curvy hips, because he knew how uncomfortable those first moments of penetration were for his lover. Regardless of how often they had intercourse, which truthfully was not all that often, Baekhyun would always be as tight as a virgin. It was partly what the prince loved about having sex with him, and he revealed as much in his next command.
“Squeeze around me, my dear, let me feel you.”
Yi Geum broke away from their kiss to help Baekhyun place his shaky hands onto muscular pecs. It allowed him to hold on somewhere while he sheathed himself on the man’s cock, clenching down on the twitching length inside of him and feeling its pulse in response.
“Good. Perfect. Now ride me .”
Baekhyun breathed deeply, gradually bringing his weight forward as he leaned on his hands and lifted his hips. He waited for that delightful moment where he would feel the crown catch on his rim, too big to pop out, and then he slammed his body back down at one fell swoop.
A sudden flash of bright white illuminated the pleasure on the prince’s face, and Baekhyun held his breath in the seconds that passed between the light and the deafening thunder that followed. The crackling sound shook the earth, and after a breathless gasp, the younger lifted his hips a second time.
The crown prince groaned when he came back down, gripping Baekhyun’s waist as he began to ride Yi Geum’s cock with more intent. His hands on his ankles, the concubine leaned back on each thrust so the man’s cock would graze the wall where he knew Sehun had felt the opening to his womb. He was hoping, praying, for that moment where the force would be enough for the prince to enter his most treasured place.
Another flash of lightning and wave of rumbling thunder sounded, this time closer than before. It felt as if it was warning Baekhyun, trying to scare off the thoughts in his mind and prevent his body from relaxing the way he needed to in order to get pregnant. He clenched once again, the crown prince’s cock nearly slipping out, and when he drove it home this time, the angle was completely off.
Whimpering, Baekhyun felt hot tears burning behind his eyes, wanting to spill down his cheeks, but he refused to show Yi Geum his frustration. He wanted so badly to be perfect, to start a family so he would not be so alone anymore in this icy, secluded castle. Why were the gods against it?
The concubine continued to ride the crown prince’s cock, a mix of pleasure and disappointment falling from his lips like broken moans. Lightning struck every minute, the thunder getting increasingly louder, and Baekhyun knew he should feel at home there in the prince’s arms, but he did not. He was cold, shivers rushing along his spine, and when the hands on his hips tightened, he knew it would be over soon. They still had not breached his womb, still had not found that sweet spot where his body would give, and Baekhyun cried when the prince’s fingers curled around his erection.
It was a non-verbal sign, telling the younger to surge towards bliss alongside the royal. Because Yi Geum liked the feeling of Baekhyun’s hole contracting around him as he came, spilling his seed in his warmth, even though it was not his womb he got to fill.
Today too, that was exactly what happened. Baekhyun’s legs were burning with exertion, his lungs begging for oxygen and his fingers trembling with a dozen unwanted emotions. But he kept going, taking the prince’s cock until he heard the man’s drawn-out moan and felt the first spurt of cum hit his walls.
Baekhyun slowed his body while his hand covered Yi Geum’s to speed up his own release. It caused his hips to stutter, and the sensitivity around his cock got the prince’s touch to falter, but the younger kept their joined hands going.
His heart was in his throat, as loud as the storm outside, and the vein in his neck was about to pop. He chased it, chased that glorious feeling of an orgasm, and when he finally got there, he welcomed it bitterly.
The moment was brief, mere seconds where he was floating on those perfect white clouds of that morning before he ultimately came crashing back down, passing through a cloudburst and hitting the earth with a booming strike of thunder. He fell against Yi Geum’s chest, out of breath and close to tears, because although he could feel the cum leaking from his rim, he knew it would not get him pregnant. They both knew.
The crown prince wrapped him in his arms, as if to soothe him, and as he helped Baekhyun slide off of him, he whispered quietly, “it’s okay, my dear. It’s okay.”
Baekhyun truly cried then, letting the tears spill as he felt all of the prince’s potent seed running down his inner thigh. He was hit by feelings of loneliness, reminded of how Yi Geum would leave again once the morning would come, forgetting about his existence for the next few days. Just like the rest of the world.
If only there was a chance he could be pregnant.
A hand brushed through his hair, lips finding his forehead, and Baekhyun allowed himself that moment of sadness as he clung to the man underneath him. He was supposed to take care of Yi Geum, not the other way around, and yet the crown prince did not scold him for his tears.
“Do not cry, Baekhyun-ah. There will come a day where your womb will open. And once it does, you will get pregnant on the very first night, I know it.”
Feeling a little more reassured, the younger wiped at his eyes while snuggling closer, mumbling his reply against the prince’s skin. “I just wish I could give you an heir. I’m sorry it’s taking so long. I understand if you wish to replace me.”
Yi Geum tilted his head up, forcing Baekhyun to look at his face, and he stared at the concubine with a mix of sorrow and relief in his eyes.
“My dear, I am happy you are mine. Speaking frankly, my mind is not on children. Today, it is grateful to see you alive,” he swore as he touched Baekhyun’s cheek most tenderly. “I wish to keep you safe, to have you healthy, so that I may find solace in your arms. That is all which matters.”
Through it all, the younger had forgotten that the prince’s visit today had been in some way unexpected. This was not routine, not part of the schedule, even if Baekhyun had felt something in the air that day to make him suspect things.
Yi Geum was here because of bad news. He needed his concubine because something had made him anxious. Anxious and in need of an escape, a release, to bring back the calmness needed to make well-founded decisions.
As luck would have it, in his post-orgasmic bliss, the crown prince was always far more loose-lipped than he was otherwise. Baekhyun loved hearing him speak about the kingdom and all its challenges, and Yi Geum loved sharing them because sometimes wording it out loud brought him new and useful insights.
Baekhyun knew that what had been said to him was a silent request for him to ask, and so he put aside his own emotions and focused on his lover.
“Tell me, your highness, what plagues you?” he whispered, feeling muscles tense underneath his fingertips at the question. “Unburden yourself, so I may carry the weight for you.”
The sigh that escaped the crown prince was loud and leaden. It reflected his troubled thoughts, told of the seriousness of everything, and Baekhyun was dying to hear more. Was it political warfare between the ministries? Or had the king fathered another child and threatened to replace Yi Geum? Either were possible and had been causes of past outbursts, yet neither were what had really happened.
“They found another body this morning,” the prince revealed. “Same end of the woodlands, identical injuries.”
Suddenly, the room felt too cold to be naked. The wind blowing in through the open windows was chilling, the thunder and rain a dark score accompanying the horrifying news of another murder, and Baekhyun wanted to hide under the blankets and brush aside this reality.
Instead, he stayed glued to Yi Geum’s side, knowing that he was as safe as he could be in the prince’s arms.
“What injuries?” he asked, his voice almost too soft in the loudness of the storm. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.
The crown prince’s hold on him tightened, like it was something he wished Baekhyun would never have to see, it was that awful to think about. Still he described it, because he needed to tell someone what he was trying to grapple with.
“It is- both bodies had multiple bite wounds in the neck, and wrecked genitalia…”
The shivers on Baekhyun’s body only got worse, the idea of ending up like that being so harrowing that he had to banish it from his thoughts.
“Their wombs were leaking a thick fluid that might have been semen, and their walls were torn so wide a human fist could enter. It was unbearable .”
Baekhyun could feel his soul cry, imagining how cruel their deaths must have been. No one deserved to die in such an inhumane way, their body mutilated so brutally. It had to have been the work of the devil.
“Who would do such a thing? And why?”
It was obvious that this was the question Yi Geum had yet to answer. He did not have all the puzzle pieces, because if he had, he would not have shown up at Baekhyun’s door today. Nevertheless, he had an inkling as to what had happened, and the younger was about to hear it.
“This is undoubtedly the work of the same creature that left the first body, weeks ago,” he explained, his fingers dipping into Baekhyun’s flesh in anger. “The victims both disappeared at dusk one night, and the forest spat them back out at dawn two days later, their souls stolen from life.”
“Maybe this thing has children and the victims came too close, or maybe they were deliberately taken. It is impossible to say. But based on what we have found it is pretty clear there is only one creature that fits the description.”
“What is it?” Baekhyun asked, holding his breath while he waited for an answer.
“The kind we thought we exterminated over a decade ago,” Yi Geum admitted with obvious perplexity. “The kind who eats souls every spring…”
He did not have to finish his sentence. Baekhyun knew the kind of creature the prince was talking about. He remembered his grandmother’s stories, the horrifying depictions of the monster that were hung up in every village as a warning sign.
“A Deimos.”
“Yes.” Yi Geum’s reply was instant, his sigh one of relief now Baekhyun seemed to understand him. Maybe he had been doubted by others, maybe his ideas had been ridiculed, but Baekhyun was not from the palace. He had seen things and heard things that he knew were linked to creatures others would deem mythical. There was more out there than human and animal.
“I remember the stories. But if this is true, the king will have a lot of scared villagers on his hands,” Baekhyun tried to recall exactly what life had been like ten years before, when the last sighting of a Deimos had happened. “People will try to flee or stop their work to hide in the safety of their homes. Does his majesty know about this all?”
The question caused Yi Geum to tense up again, and the younger instantly knew that this was a sore spot. The king did not love his son the way a father should, and every action was judged through the lens of a monarch. Yi Geum was only twenty-three, he had a lot to learn, yet the king expected perfection even at this age.
“He does, but he is refusing to believe it is true,” the crown prince spoke, his voice dark and emotionless. The way it often was when he talked about his father.
“He said he killed the very last Deimos himself all those years ago and that there is no chance for this to be real. He thinks it is a trap, believes an enemy is killing villagers and making it seem like it is a Deimos so fear will rise in the kingdom. He expects they will take advantage of the chaos that will follow, and so he does not want to send his men to investigate.”
“What about you?” Baekhyun asked quietly, focusing on his lover, even though he was expected to always be on the king’s side. “Yi Geum, do you believe it is real?”
A silence fell in the room, bringing back their attention to the world outside and the resounding spell of rain still hitting the earth as loud as arrows. The quiet only lasted a minute, a minute in which the prince mulled over the question and Baekhyun wished to receive a reassuring answer.
He did not get it.
“I do.”
Yi Geum breathed a shaky exhale against Baekhyun’s forehead, dropping a kiss to his chilled skin. “I saw the body with my own two eyes. That… that was not done by a human.”
Even his voice revealed how rattled he had been by the sight. It was proof he was not lying, that there truly was a creature out there looking to murder. A decade after the king had claimed to have killed the last remaining Deimos, it had somehow returned.
“Why is it back?” he questioned out loud. “It was gone for ten years, why come back now?”
Yi Geum hummed, gently brushing his hand through Baekhyun’s hair again. Talking about it had helped him to unwind some, as he got to unleash every thought without being mocked. The younger had shown him he did not judge, and now he felt comfortable enough to be an open book.
“We are not certain, but we think it might be a young Deimos having returned to its homeland now it has come of age.”
Baekhyun thought of what this meant. It was an accusation, stating the king had failed all those years ago, and that at least one of these creatures had gotten away. And if one of them had, who was to say there were not more? This truly could lead to panic throughout the kingdom, and that would be a disaster. It would taint the king’s legacy.
“What are you going to do about it? Will you kill it?”
He knew Yi Geum would not give up on this. He would feel the need to interfere, to personally see to it that this creature would not kill another person. His answer proved so.
“We have to. If not, more people will die.”
It brought on a sudden fear that the prince would go after the Deimos by himself, wanting to be a hero and save the kingdom without carefully thinking through how dangerous it would be. Which was why he asked, “Are you going out there yourself?”
“Don’t know yet,” Yi Geum threw back. “I cannot go against my father, so I will have to find a way to gain his trust. Make him put me in charge of taking care of the problem.”
Baekhyun could only think of the consequences of the prince taking on such a daunting task. The risks of him ending up hurt and dying, leaving behind not just Baekhyun, but his other concubines too. More importantly, he would leave his future queen, the woman who was giving him a family; a possible heir.
She was pregnant with their first child, a few weeks away from labour, and adored not only by her husband, but by Baekhyun too. He occasionally drank tea with her, and if he were honest with himself, he would say she was his best friend within the palace. One of the few who did not look down on him simply for being a man.
He knew it was not his place to share these worries, but he could not stop himself. There was too much on the line for him to stay quiet.
“I hope he will give you permission, my prince,” he said first, to soften the blow of the words that followed, “But please promise me that you will not put yourself in danger unnecessarily. Think of your wife, your child that is about to be born…”
To add weight to his words, Baekhyun turned his head and looked into Yi Geum’s eyes. What he saw there was gratitude and understanding, as if the fact that he was looking out for the prince was more than he could have asked for. As if it made him more precious than anyone else.
“And you…”
The declaration shook Baekhyun in a way he had not expected. It was such a blatant profession of affection, and the crown prince had never before made it so clear how much he wished to have him in his life.
“And me.” The concubine felt his cheeks heat as he moved in for a kiss, not sure if he was giving off the wrong message by doing so, but he wanted to. “Be careful, okay?”
He tried to show how serious he was through the fire in his eyes, and Yi Geum smiled as if he was not at all impressed by it. Still, he made the promise, which was all that mattered anyway.
“I will.”
Satisfied with the answer, Baekhyun dropped back against the prince’s chest, snuggling just a tiny bit closer. He let his fingers travel, featherlight touches swiftly moving across sweat covered skin, and he grinned.
As they slowed down, their heartbeats returning back to normal and their limbs growing heavy with fatigue, he realised the storm outside was moving away too. The lightning was still there from time to time, but the rumbling noise of thunder was growing fainter, and he knew the worst of it was over.
They were silent, simply existing side by side, and Baekhyun could tell the prince was fighting sleep. He must have been so devoted to this case that it had taken all his energy, not a second to be wasted, and so the younger hummed a quiet rhyme under his breath to lull him to sleep.
Yi Geum may have wanted to stay awake, but his body was betraying him and forcing him to surrender to his drowsiness. He took a final deep breath, and then his head lolled to the side, fast asleep.
Baekhyun stayed with him for a little while, enjoying the closeness of their bodies and satiating his hunger for skin. He knew it would be days before they would lie like this again, perhaps even longer if the Deimos continued to murder innocent human beings. But the knowledge he now possessed still made him feel so shaken up, and the more he thought of it, the more troubled he became.
Restless and on edge, he unwrapped himself from around the crown prince’s body, and slowly he rolled over and got to his feet. More cum trickled down his inner thigh, dripping all the way to his knee, and Baekhyun ignored it as he wandered over to the window. On his way there, he grabbed a rag from the cabinet and wiped it past his skin, cleaning up the mess they had made before he plopped down on the pillow at his window.
The air was much cooler now the downpour had made the temperature drop, and though the clouds were still a gravel-grey, the curtain of rain had passed over. Pearls of shimmering water still dropped from the rafters, but they no longer formed an entire orchestra of sound. Now, each tone could be heard, making for a light spring harmony, as if meant to bring hope.
Baekhyun watched the plants outside the hanok, stretching as far as the palace walls, and beyond that were large trees that waved their branches back and forth. It was a captivating sight, the leaves rustling gently as they danced in the wind, and somehow, he felt it calling his name.
Something was there, deep inside of him, spurring him on. A sense of wonder or a quest for knowledge, that made him want to go beyond those walls. His gut was telling him there was danger, something to be afraid of, yet his inquiring mind thought differently.
Those trees, their leaves, they were singing his name. They were begging for him to answer, to leave the safety of his hanok and give in to the temptation of the unknown.
Baekhyun did not understand why, but he had always been fascinated with the woodlands. As a young boy he had watched it from the farm, and it had called out to him the same way it was doing now, bringing him some of the most wonderful memories of his life. And just like he had been back in those days, he was absolutely spellbound.
Something along the borders was trying to lure him in, as if inviting him to come home, but he knew he had to resist its powers. Even now, as he longed to feel that freedom of being entirely surrounded by nature, he thought of where he truly belonged. It was here, in this room with the crown prince of Great Joseon, and with his grandmother in the countryside.
No matter how the forest seemed to summon him, wishing for him to set foot beyond the borders, he had to defy its plea.
He had to.
⁂
As expected, the kingdom broke into chaos the moment word of a second body began to travel. It spread like wildfire, even within the palace walls, and the next days were filled with quietly whispered speculations about the details of the murder, some of which were incredulous and completely baseless.
Baekhyun would hear the servants gossiping with one another as he walked across palace grounds, their heads bowed together so no one would see the shock on their faces as they talked. They hoped to find some answers from whichever royal they served, but it seemed impossible to get any useful information.
Those in power were clearly trying their hardest to pretend nothing had happened at all. At least, everyone except the crown prince. Maybe because they truly did not know a thing, or maybe because the king had sworn them to secrecy.
So, although no news made it outside the palace walls, it did make it back in. Stories of worried villagers who kept their children locked away, who no longer cared for the community and carelessly looted shops to have as much food in storage as possible. It was a warzone, and Baekhyun got to see it with his own eyes when he travelled to town a week after the body was found.
He had received a letter from the crown prince, telling Baekhyun how he had been ordered to form an army and plan an attack, and that he would not be visiting until the situation had been taken care of. It gave Baekhyun the freedom to take some time off, which he would certainly not be spending by himself in his desolated hanok. Instead he was on his way to see his grandmother.
She lived some miles away from the village, and though she was cautious enough of the woodlands not to get caught wandering places she should not, that did not mean she was strong enough to defend herself in case anything were to happen. Baekhyun feared her safety, and so he would go there to protect her for as long as the Deimos remained a threat. Or until the crown prince would call him back to the palace.
Travelling through streets that would usually be bustling with life, with excitement and friendliness, was a strange experience. There were still people idling around, but they stuck to the walls, sending suspicious glares to everyone they did not know. As if no one could be trusted.
Multiple doors were covered with large, petrifying posters, ones that Baekhyun remembered seeing in his childhood, and upon spotting the first one, he stopped to observe it. The Deimos was depicted as a huge monster, tall and fat, with bright red skin and black hair. It had a tail long enough to reach the crown of its head, and wings spanning as wide as the merchant carts that would usually line the streets. Its eyes were bulging and spitting fire, and its grin was devilish and unkind.
Baekhyun felt uneasy looking at it, his mind providing a film of vile and abominable scenes where the monster played the villain. He thought of the two unfortunate victims, of how they must have met their ends, and he closed his eyes and shook off the unsettling emotions that were trying to creep up on him.
He decided to avert his gaze and carry on his way, restlessly lifting his bag up over his shoulder as he stepped away from the door. The sack was heavy, but he did not know how long he would be gone for, and he had needed to bring some essentials. Apart from a change of clothes, he had brought his grandmother some new books, a dose of vitamins that Sehun had managed to smuggle into the palace, as well as the money he had made being Yi Geum’s concubine. Most of what he earned he sent to his grandmother, and whenever she needed medicine, Sehun had ways of getting them to her much cheaper.
Baekhyun knew how vital it was to have access to these kinds of resources, and it was because he could care for his grandmother so well that he did not regret leaving his old life behind. She was truly the most important person in the world to him, and he would do anything to keep her safe, including giving up his freedom. But she was getting older now, which made the heavy, physical labour on the farm far more arduous. As a consequence, illness struck more often than it used to, even if Baekhyun was capable of getting her the treatment she needed.
It made him proud to know he could finally pay her back for all the years in which she had taken him under her wing instead of thrown him out on the streets. After the fateful death of his parents, she had become his guardian angel, and now, now he would be hers.
Baekhyun could not help but heave a sigh of relief the moment he left the village behind him, the dark, sombre aura having been too much to bear. It felt good to escape it, to take a breath of fresh air and momentarily forget all about the Deimos, even though he was actually moving closer to its territory. It did not change how it felt like coming home.
The path towards his grandmother’s farm had exploded with greenery. It seemed the violent storm that had terrorised the country had done the land a favour. He got to watch the bees buzzing around some flowers, and birds chirpily tweeting in the nearby trees. It always reminded him of his birthday, of yet another year having passed, but they were not quite there yet.
Baekhyun paused a few times, sitting down in the shade of a tree to catch his breath and shelter from the sun, which had returned to scorch the earth at full force. He was dressed in too many layers, keeping his skin out of direct sunlight, and he refused to take anything off in fear he’d lose his perfectly light complexion.
Before he had left for the palace, he had spent most of his days outside. His skin would soak up every ray of sunshine, ending up deliciously tan by the time the harvest would come, but now he hardly set foot outside anymore.
Pale skin was a sign of wealth, and it made him more desirable, which as a concubine, he needed to be. And so whenever he did go out, he would carefully wrap himself in fabric to protect his skin from the sun, even if that meant enduring the excruciating heat, like today.
Far too sweaty and a little lightheaded, he eventually continued onwards. There was not much left to go, so while he waited for the fields to come into view, Baekhyun picked up his pace as much as he could.
He was feeling the same kind of excitement he always did, knowing he was so close to home, but today he was more animated than ever: his grandmother did not know he was coming. It had been too last minute to send a letter, as it would have arrived after he did, and he was thrilled about getting to surprise her like this. He could already imagine her stunned smile, could already feel her warm arms around him, and he thought of this the entire final stretch of his journey.
Baekhyun had to keep himself from running the second he fully saw the homely farm come into view. His gleeful smile grew twice its size, tired feet scurrying across the gravel to reach the gates, and he was calling out before he even reached them.
“Halmoni! I’m back!”
He dropped his bag after passing through the entryway, bursting out with another cry of her name, and only a second later her head popped out from around the back.
“Baekhyunnie?”
Baekhyun did not wait for her to make sense of things. He rushed towards her because he could, and with more warmth and love than he held for anyone, he threw his arms around her shoulders. “Yes, it is me.”
She held onto her grandson with a tight grip, as if he had been on a most dangerous quest and had at last returned home safely, and Baekhyun loved hearing her worried tone as she complained, “my boy, you should have let me know you were coming. I would have come to get you. It is not safe out there now.”
“I know. I know about everything, halmoni,” he reassured her, “that is why I had the time to come see you. The prince is working on it.”
She stepped away, her fingers still firmly holding onto her grandson’s arm, and her eyes were a little less bright than they had been upon first seeing him. “Right, of course he is. Come on in, son, you must be hungry after such a trip.”
As if on cue, Baekhyun’s stomach made a gurgling noise of agreement, and his grandmother laughed knowingly as she let go of him, “I am happy to see you have not changed.”
While she made her way inside, clearly expecting her grandson to follow, Baekhyun thought of how good it felt to be back. To breathe in the cleanest air, watch his grandmother move around the kitchen, and hear the sounds of nature right outside every window. The beauty of it all, the splendour of the countryside, was what he missed most about living here.
Finally, he joined his grandmother inside, taking it upon himself to set the table while she worked on the food. It was easy, habitual, the product of years of living together, and it made him wish he could take her along with him to the palace so he could always feel this at home.
But he knew he would not make his grandmother happy living such a life, taking her away from the place that held her heart, and he would never be able to make such a selfish decision when it came to her.
“Had I known you would be coming, I would have prepared something special. Now all I have is some stew, and it is not even the best stew I have ever made.”
Baekhyun watched as a bowl of steaming meat and vegetables was put in front of him, and his stomach growled again, desperate for a taste.
“Halmoni, if all you had was dry bread I would still think it was the most delicious meal ever, okay? Usually I eat in the village before heading this way, but the town is truly deserted right now, so I have not eaten in hours,” he explained, waiting for his grandmother to sit before they both dug into their food.
“Goodness, then eat, son. There is more if you want it.”
Baekhyun slurped up the first spoonful of stew, the taste exploding on his tongue, and he instantly felt its warmth course through his body. With his eyes closed, he let a sound of appreciation escape him, and it got his grandmother to laugh, “that's my boy.”
He could not help it, he wanted to talk to her more than anything, but he was so hungry and the food was simply too good to even breathe between bites. He finished his entire bowl before even looking up again, and did not put it down until every drop had been swallowed.
Then he slumped back into his seat, hands on his stomach as he waited quietly for his grandmother to finish too. She had not poured herself as much as she had given him, but rather than wolfing it down like Baekhyun had, she savoured every mouthful by patiently chewing on the meat.
Watching her made him think of his mom, of how much she had looked like halmoni. He wondered what she would have looked like had she been alive today. Would he still have ended up as the prince’s concubine then? Or would fate have ruined his life in a different way?
It did not matter, because the past could not be changed.
Casting off pointless thoughts about a life of ‘what if’s, Baekhyun eventually cleared his throat and dared to break the silence.
“How have you been, halmoni?” He asked, quickly summing up a hundred questions at once. “How is your health? And what about the farm? Did you manage to sow all the seeds in time?”
His grandmother waved her hand at him to tell him to slow down, and she shook her head before she got to her feet, putting away their empty bowls before doing anything else.
“Do not worry so much about me, son,” she said. “I can take care of myself.”
Baekhyun watched her grab two smaller cups, the ones meant for drinks, and then snatch a bottle off the shelf. It was one of her homemade soju recipes, the one that had become an absolute hit in town, and she took both to the table before she sat down with her grandson.
“I know you can. I just want to hear how things have been.”
Pouring them both a glass of the intense liquor, she clearly pondered over how much she wanted to share with her grandson, and Baekhyun tried to win her over by reminding her, “please, I’m not a child anymore…”
The way he downed the soju in one go was proof of that, and his grandmother smiled fondly, almost as if memories of her daughter and son in law were on her mind too. Whatever it was that she was thinking, it made her cave.
“Well, business has taken a hit,” she admitted while filling Baekhyun’s glass a second time. Then she took a small sip of her own. “We have not been able to go to the market all week.”
Instantly, Baekhyun’s body filled with dread, his mind coming up with all these negative thoughts and fears that he could not suppress. Was it all because of the Deimos, or was there more to it? Would she have enough medicine to last through these difficult times? Would she be able to survive on Baekhyun’s income without the money made at the market? Would she be able to buy all she needed to live if the world were to shut down?
“Does Junmyeon still help you take your cart there?” He asked, wanting to make sure at least his best friend had not left, that he was helping where he could and looking out for his grandmother the way he had promised Baekhyun before he left.
“He does,” she assured him, knowing of the two boys’ agreement. “Such a lovely young man... He misses you, Baekhyunnie.”
“I miss him too,” Baekhyun admitted, smiling warmly, “but I will visit him tomorrow. Today is about you.”
His grandmother shook her head at that, “Silly boy…”
He decided to let it be, knowing defending himself would change nothing about it. Instead he focused on what she loved talking about most, her pride and joy: the garden.
“Were you happy to get the rain? The storm made everything so green outside.”
Her eyes lit up the way they always did when discussing the farm and everything that came with it. It had been her husband’s back in the day, but grandpa had passed away before Baekhyun had been born and the place had been left to her. She continued to put all her love and care into the soil, even after two decades of doing it alone.
“It was desperately needed, yes,” she mused, staring out towards the courtyard and taking in how dry the ground was, still. “But the crops have started growing, so you can do your little inspection round later if you want.”
“I will,” he smiled, “I have missed the smell.”
At this, his grandmother’s face turned serious again, and a flash of guilt passed across her features too. Baekhyun already knew what she was about to say before she spoke, he had heard it a hundred times before.
“You know you can always come back home, right? You do not have to stay at the palace for me.”
“I know,” Baekhyun swore, wishing she would stop blaming herself for the life her grandson had chosen to live. “But it allows me to take care of you, and the crown prince takes good care of me in return, I promise.”
She did not seem convinced, and Baekhyun watched her lift the soju to her lips so she could down it. “He better, or I will make sure to get him and all his future children cursed.”
It was said merely because she was looking out for her grandson the way he was looking out for her, and so Baekhyun pointedly did not share how the prince had tried to get him pregnant. She would surely have an opinion on that, or perhaps even get him cursed.
“Have some faith in him, please. He will kill the Deimos.”
She huffed at his words as if she believed this even less than Baekhyun’s previous statement. “I wish him luck on that. You do not find a Deimos. No, no, it finds you instead.”
The way she said it, so convincingly, reminded Baekhyun of how much she believed in all the stories she had told her grandson throughout his life. Tales as old as time, warning of the dangers lurking in the forest. She was always the best at telling them, too, using a scary voice on him to truly get him frightened.
He remembered how, for a while, he had been too scared to go back into the forest to look for berries, but eventually he had concluded that until he would actually come across any mythical creatures, he would not let it hold him back.
“Halmoni?” he asked. “I do remember most of your stories, but could you tell this one again? So I can make sure I did not miss anything important?”
Maybe he had forgotten crucial details, ones that could clear up everything and offer the solution all of them had been looking for. He wanted to be that lending hand, hoping to find an answer to this predicament so he could get Yi Geum home in time to watch his child be born.
“Of course,” his grandmother seized the opportunity easily, never giving up on a chance to share her knowledge with those wishing to receive it.
“The forest is home to a multitude of mythical creatures, though you know not everyone believes so. Deimos were among the earliest sighted by humans, and they have roamed these woodlands for centuries. I grew up with the stories, as did my mother before me, and her mother before too.”
Baekhyun took the bottle of soju and filled both his grandmother’s glass as well as his own, all the while listening to her paint a picture of the creature that had come back to haunt the kingdom.
“They are half human, half demon, and live and feed off the forest for most of the year. Not much is known about what they hunt for exactly, nor do we know how they live, but once a year they come out to feed on the souls of innocent humans, taking as many as needed to survive.”
“Why would such creatures exist, though?” Baekhyun asked, remembering how he had never come to find an answer to this question, “if they just kill and kill, then should we not want them dead? And how could they even be half human?”
“In many ways they are like us, except they are much bigger and stronger, and absolutely fearless. However, their hearts are as vulnerable as ours, and an easy target for those that have the weapons to fight it. When the king killed the last Deimos, or so he claimed, he cut out its heart and took it with him. It was an exact copy of a human heart, but twice the size.”
Baekhyun felt himself getting sucked into his grandma’s storytelling, loving the way she lowered her voice as if she was sharing a secret. Like there was someone lurking outside, listening in on this tale while they were not allowed to hear her words.
“I would say it is more demon than human, considering these brutal murders…” he mumbled back, toying with his drink, and his grandmother hummed thoughtfully.
“I understand you think so. They are known to move closer to the woodland borders once spring arrives, and each year without fail, humans would end up dead because of them. Until the king took care of it, that is.”
Baekhyun nodded, vividly remembering the celebrations across the kingdom after the Deimos had been defeated. A week of celebrations, of feasting and drinking and dancing. He had been so young back then, but it had left an impression all the same, and not just because it had happened so shortly after his parents’ death.
But a decade had passed and now a Deimos was back, meaning people were being murdered again. Not just murdered either, but raped and mangled, robbed of their honour and sent to an early grave.
“It must be such a horrible way to die.”
“I am certain it is,” his grandmother agreed. “That is why I always told you to stay away from the forest, and why you would get your ass beat whenever you did wander there. You were such a curious child… Only once she was no longer on this earth did I come to understand why you always gave my daughter headaches.”
“Hey, apart from me sneaking away I was a good kid!” Baekhyun felt himself pout, and he sat back so he could cross his arms in front of his chest. “If mom were still here she would agree with me.”
“I never said you weren’t, sweetheart. She would be so proud of you.”
His grandmother’s gentle smile was filled with a sorrow he only saw there occasionally, a pain she kept hidden in a little chest inside her heart. It was the same one Baekhyun carried with him, and it was brimming with the same kind of grief. They had gone through it all together, and knew exactly how the other felt.
A silence fell over them as they remembered the two warm personalities missing in the room. A daughter, a mother, and her husband, a father. Still, with time it had become less difficult to move past the hurt, and pushing those feelings away was not as painful now. It was what Baekhyun did in that moment, knowing there were more important things for them to discuss.
He cleared his throat, keeping his gaze on the table as he changed the topic back to the Deimos. “Okay, so what should Yi Geum do to kill this monster then? Is carving out its heart the only option?”
“Well, with its size and strength, it will be hard to kill. It took the king months to hunt them down, and it will not give up easily. Especially not if this Deimos is in any way related to the ones the king killed. It will be out for blood.”
Through this all, Baekhyun had not once thought about this. If any had survived back then, why would they have waited ten years to return? No, this had to be a different Deimos, one that had wandered here without knowing a murderous king would come for it. Right?
“Do you think more people will die?” he asked, fearing the answer to his question.
His grandmother’s eyebrows furrowed, as if she was not sure of this herself. But as she did, she reached for the soju again, and Baekhyun knew her next words would not be reassuring.
“Usually, a Deimos only makes one or two victims a year,” she explained, “but if it is looking for a partner then yes, more will follow. It will continue to kill until it finds a match.”
This was news to Baekhyun. A match? What kind of match? Was his grandmother saying what he thought she was saying?
“Wait, you never told me about this…” he argued, and she interrupted him, as if she could not believe he was shocked by this.
“Baekhyun, you were a child. Of course I did not tell you about this.”
Taking another sip of his drink, Baekhyun let the mix of confusing questions run through his mind. He stared out at the courtyard, trying to make sense of everything before he would speak again. Because he had never considered how these creatures produced their offspring, and even if he would have, he would not have expected it to be this.
“A partner? Is it looking for a partner? Is that why it is killing people?”
His grandmother did not have all the answers in the world, as much as he wished for her to know everything. This seemed to be one of those things she could not say with certainty.
“It could be. Only time will tell if this Deimos is looking to mate or not, but the past has shown it seeks a human partner, and it will kill until it has found the most perfect one.”
Baekhyun’s mind was whirring with thoughts and ideas, each crazier than the last. “So, you think the killing could stop once it finds a partner?”
His grandmother could hear the conniving tone to his voice and she instantly shook her head, pointing a warning finger his way. “Oh no, don’t you dare interfere… It is not our problem, Baekhyunnie. If we stay away, we should be safe.”
With a huff, the boy held up both hands, as if she was wrong to make any kind of assumptions like that. “I know, I just want to help put an end to this. I am worried about you not being able to go to the market and sell your produce. I am only looking out for you.”
“You are a sweetheart, really, but I can take care of myself, darling,” his grandmother reached out to grab one of his hands, giving it a kind squeeze to assure him she was perfectly fine. “You already do too much for me as it is.”
Watching her disregard the issue so easily was not unusual. She had always shown herself to be a strong-willed woman, even through the loss of her only child, but Baekhyun knew she was worried too. He could see it in the lines of her face, in the nervous tremor in her hand. She was only pretending to be strong.
“You are the only one I have left,” he whispered as he looked at the one family member he could still count on. What would he do if she were to get murdered by a Deimos? He would die of heartbreak and never forgive himself for not taking action. “How could I not?”
“You know that is not true, my boy,” she pushed herself up from her seat, clearly not comfortable enough talking about this, and yet Baekhyun pushed.
“It is. Yi Geum and Junmyeon cannot come close to the space you hold in my heart. You are family .”
“You can find family with others too, dear,” she replied, putting the soju away again so she had an excuse to turn her back to her grandson. “I need to go check up on my seedlings. Some still need to be planted…”
Baekhyun watched her run away from the conversation, ignoring the completely reasonable arguments her grandson had offered. He had every reason to worry about her, and yet she would not let him express it. Even after all these years, she was still a stubborn old lady.
With a sigh, the boy got to his feet too, deciding to fetch his belongings and get them to his room. He could try to convince his grandmother again later today. For now he would use the silence in the house to come up with a plan to keep the most important people in his life out of harm’s way.
Whatever it would take.
⁂
Leading someone to believe a fact they considered indisputable was tough, especially when it came to the existence of mythical creatures. But it was not nearly as difficult as convincing his grandmother she was worthy of being taken care of.
Baekhyun had tried once more that night before, repeatedly telling her that family was solely bound by blood and would never come to him in other ways, yet she had ignored his every argument. He had hoped to show her just how important she was by bringing out the pills he had managed to get his hands on; however, somehow that had only made the situation worse.
She had violently thrown the glass bottle across the room, shattering it against the floor while yelling about being perfectly capable of living without them. It had been like trying to talk to an angry toddler, and though he recognised this bullheadedness better than anyone, he wished there was an off button for it.
Utterly forlorn and desperate for her to understand, Baekhyun had fallen to his knees, gathering as many pills as he could without cutting himself on the razor-sharp shards of glass. He had been wise enough not to say another word, and that had been the end of the conversation, or rather an intermission in a never-ending discussion that neither would ever win.
Halmoni did not like feeling out of control, and as it was, life seemed to be pushing her to a place where that happened more and more. Yet, it did not mean she would surrender to it willingly; she would not go down without a fight. Baekhyun simply had to make sure he would be the last man standing once her energy would eventually be depleted.
He had gone to bed licking his wounds, having abandoned his quest for the time being, but at least every last valuable pill was now safely stored in one of their soup bowls.
Sleep had taken him quickly, but kept him in that daunting space between deep slumber and consciousness where the most fantastical dreams would plague the mind. It had painted him pictures of absolute carnage, of mutilated bodies everywhere, and his grandmother’s scream had sounded so harrowingly real that he had needed to check up on her the moment he awoke.
Thankfully, his dreams truly proved themselves to be nothing but illusions, as his halmoni had been peeling beans for what seemed like a while. She had smiled at Baekhyun, as if their fight the night before had not happened at all, and then told him to go fetch the eggs.
And so now, in the early morning dew, he was breathing in the smell of wet grass while he made his usual morning rounds; check on the animals, water the seedlings, and cut out any dead sprouts from the flowerbeds. It was easy, predictable, and soothing all at the same time.
He could stop to watch the flock of chicken while they pecked the ground for food, merrily tuck-tuck-tucking like there was nothing that made them happier. Having said that, he knew the goats would be screaming bloody murder if he took too long fetching the eggs, which was why he did not linger for too long.
“Alright, alright, relax,” Baekhyun grumbled when he could hear some weak bleating already coming from the next pen over. He put the basket with eggs down on the workbench and fetched a heavy bucket with feed before he turned to their enclosure. However, the moment he laid eyes on the small patch of field where the goats always roamed, his light smile died down and a look of pure horror replaced it. The hefty bucket fell from his grip, pellets of food scattering around his feet, and a hand made it up to his mouth to cover his ‘O’-shaped lips as he cried out in anguish.
There, near the stone walls at the back of the enclosure, lay one of their youngest goats. It was drowned in blood, its head severed from the romp and all its intestines gone. The sight was brutal, so terribly gruesome that he could not move. His fingers were trembling against his lips, brain completely disconnected from his body, and for a moment he feared he would not be able to breathe.
A gentle nudge against his leg from one of their goats got him to jump, and his heart seemed to crash to the ground, where he caught it just in time for it not to shatter to a thousand pieces. The poor thing at his feet delighted in the food he had spilled all over the place, as if it was entirely unaware of the nightmare Baekhyun had laid his eyes on.
“Oh, goodness…” The words were barely audible, but they allowed him to suck air into his lungs, and slowly the blood returned to his head and his thoughts made him act. “Halmoni!”
He called for his grandmother, crying out her name multiple times while he tried to beckon the other goats to his side. They had to get away from the carcass and be brought to safety, at least until it was clear what had killed this poor animal in such a cruel manner. Had this been the work of the Deimos too? Was it leaving the woods now and targeting not just humans but animals as well?
“What is it? What is going on?” His grandmother came out of the house holding nothing other than the biggest cooking knife she owned, and she looked panic-stricken until she laid eyes on her grandson and saw he was completely fine. Then her eyes flitted to the spot behind him, finding the reason he had called for her, and she sighed as she slowly lowered the knife until it almost fell from her grip. Her shoulders came down too, while her face grimaced and her mouth went droopy.
“Oh,” she finally said, sounding entirely void of any emotion, “another one…”
Baekhyun could not believe what he was hearing. “Another one?” he raised his voice and stomped his foot, scaring one of the goats away from him, “what do you mean another one?!”
His grandmother walked closer, motioning for him to lower his voice, and she sighed again, as if the scene her grandson was causing had taken another year off her life.
“I mean, this is not the first animal to die,” she admitted, her eyes still on the goat instead of Baekhyun. Understandably so, because the boy was enraged by this fact, and she knew it.
“Why did you not tell me before? Halmoni, this is serious… if the Deimos can get this close, you could be in danger.”
Her frown deepened at her grandson’s words, and at last she turned away to put down the knife next to the basket of eggs. “I highly doubt I am its target, my boy… But even if I were, I would rather die here than leave.”
Baekhyun hated how much it hurt to hear those words being spoken into existence. They did not surprise him in any way, but he wished his grandmother would not think so little of her own life. She should want to live, not give up like this.
“Even then, you could have shared this with me…” he threw back while taking a tiny step closer to her, hoping she would look into his troubled eyes, but he was being ignored all the same.
“And worry you even more? No, my boy.” She chuckled, as if he should have figured this out himself. After all, he was made of the same wood as her.
“Well, did you at least tell Junmyeon?” Baekhyun begged, hoping it was just him that she would not talk to about these things. Just like she was the one he would not talk to about whatever went on at the palace. As long as someone knew, he would be able to let it go.
“I did,” she assured him, finally sparing him a glance. “I told you, he is a wonderful young man and he takes good care of me when you are at the palace.”
Baekhyun released the air he had been holding in his lungs, feeling some of the fear that had been building slowly seep out of him. At least Junmyeon knew what went on the farm when he was not around. “Good. Okay. Yeah.”
His grandmother turned to him then, giving him a thorough once over. Her eyes were narrowed, and Baekhyun could see the discontentment in her face when she warned him, “I do not like this, though. You are far too invested. Not to mention, you are young and fertile, which makes you a desirable prey for this creature. It would be best for you to return to the palace, Baekhyunnie.”
Baekhyun silently stared at her, knowing fully well that she was right. He was invested, and he did fit the description of the previous victims, but his grandmother seemed to forget she had raised him. Her stubbornness had been passed down to him, and her willingness to sacrifice herself for her loved ones burned just as brightly in his heart.
“I am not leaving you, halmoni,” he told her, not an ounce of doubt in his voice. “I would rather die here than leave.”
He echoed the same words his grandmother had spoken, and she rolled her eyes at him as if she could not believe he had pulled the same trick. But she could, because she knew him better than that.
“Tenacious boy…” she mumbled, shaking her head in disapproval, though she did not argue with him.
“Guess I take after you,” he replied with a grin, the light finally reaching his eyes again.
“Right,” she waved him off, signalling she was done with the conversation. “Go get Junmyeon then, he knows how to skin the carcass. The least we can do to honour this animal is make good use of its remains”
Baekhyun pulled a face, disgusted by the idea of actually touching the dead animal with his bare hands. In all his time on the farm, he had never been one to get involved in that kind of task. He was too big of a softie for it, and so he would gladly find his best friend so he could take care of the problem.
“Only if you promise me you will wait inside until I get back, though,” he tried to bribe his grandmother before he gave in, already knowing she was not going to comply.
“Byun Baekhyun…” she rumbled, and Baekhyun caved easily.
“Fine,” he pouted, feeling like a scolded child as he turned around and marched towards the gates.
Junmyeon better side with him, or he would throw a fit and call for his palace guards to put the entire farm on lockdown. His grandmother could tell him off for caring, but she would not be able to dismiss a royal decree.
If Baekhyun truly felt the need, he could have the upper hand. Because he would not lose the most important person in his life to some mythical creature spawned by the devil. He simply refused to let it happen.
⁂
Three goats and five chickens. That is how many animals had been murdered since the first girl had disappeared two months before.
Junmyeon would have preferred not to tell him, but Baekhyun had pinched the sensitive skin of his waist until he had unwillingly spilled every secret he had been forced to keep. From how many animals had been killed to just how little halmoni had been able to sell the past weeks, and how her health was badly affected by the anxiety that came with all of it.
It had made Baekhyun’s heart ache so much that he had spilled a few tears, leaning his head on Junmyeon’s shoulder as they talked about it, a safe distance away from the house.
“I wish there was something I could do to fix things,” he had dejectedly whispered to his best friend, who had taken his hand and assured him, “you already do everything that lies within your power, Baekhyun. I hope you learn not to be so hard on yourself.”
It had brought him some relief, hearing those words being spoken by someone like Junmyeon, but they had not superseded the worries that had settled like a burdensome stone in the pit of Baekhyun’s stomach. And so he was glad to be alone again, completely alone this time, as he could finally let his thoughts roam freely.
After a rather peaceful dinner with both his grandmother and best friend, Baekhyun had excused himself to his room. He had not lingered, did not even need to think before he snuck up the old, creaky ladder in his room to find his most favourite spot on the roof.
His grandmother would always scold him for going up there, afraid he would stumble off the roof and fall to his death, but the view was simply too breathtaking for him to heed her warning.
Baekhyun sat on the narrow, flat ledge underneath the ridge of the house, his slender arms wrapped around tired legs as he stared ahead over the wall at the woodlands. It looked so incredibly peaceful, the leaves calmly fluttering in the wind with various shades of green mixing together. It was as if they were enchanted; able to sense one another and dance to the same tune, creating this lovely display of greenery.
The warmth of the setting sun was on his back, casting an orange and pink glow on the trees, and for a while Baekhyun thought of how deceiving the forest was. It looked so beautiful, yet there was a darkness lurking behind that façade of serenity that he would never understand.
It was threatening everyone he loved. Every person he held dear was affected by the creature hidden behind that line of trees, and this distress would remain until the threat was no longer present. There were only two ways that could happen: either the Deimos would have to die, or it would have to find a mate.
Baekhyun knew the crown prince was planning on following in his father’s footsteps by ending the life of this monster, and yet he had a feeling this would not be as easy as it sounded. He feared more people would die before then, feared Yi Geum would be foolish enough to let his pride lead him, and that simply would not do. Baekhyun had to find a way to help.
In the distance, one of the goats was bleating, as if calling for its dead mate, and a feeling of sudden loss hit Baekhyun square in the chest. He thought of a world where he was crying for his grandmother, for Junmyeon and Yi Geum. A world where the Deimos was far too powerful to be killed, and the murders would not end.
Resting his cheek on his knees, Baekhyun felt such sadness in his bones that he had to close his eyes or else he would cry. However, even though he was not watching, the world still continued to turn. The wind never paused its song, while the sun disappeared a little more every minute that he sat there, bringing on an icy chill that had not been present during the day.
He thought of all the people in his life that had kept him warm. They were feeling the same kind of cold that he had felt for most of his life, were in his shoes for once, and he wanted to be the one keeping them warm this time around.
His grandmother had explicitly told him to stay out of it, but how could he? The woodlands had been calling for him since his childhood. It was beckoning him to come closer, perhaps because he was meant to enter, and the call was getting harder to ignore with each passing day. What if he had the power to end all of this and save the people he loved? The kingdom could be freed, his grandmother would go back to selling her produce at the local market, and Yi Geum would honour him by taking care of her until her death.
The crown prince would mourn him, Baekhyun knew he would, but he had his wife and a handful of other concubines. In the grand scheme of things, he was replaceable, and in time he would be easily forgotten.
He knew it was ridiculous, knew it was possible he would die in vain, but Baekhyun also knew every day of his life was a gift anyway. He could have died along with his parents, perhaps he should have, but he had been given another decade to experience everything the world had to offer.
To die for the ones he loved, it would be an honour.
As the sun fully set, stealing the last bit of warmth from his aching bones, Baekhyun watched the green of the leaves turn to solemn darkness. It brought the same gloominess that had fallen in the entire kingdom, and he blankly stared ahead as the twilight created dark shadows between the tree trunks that looked like tall figures.
A chilling feeling crept up on him then, as if he was being watched, but no matter how closely he searched for a pair of red eyes in the night, he could not discover them.
Baekhyun sat with his fear for a while, trying to find comfort in the discomfort, but it was impossible to shake the uneasiness he felt. No matter how long he marvelled at the forest, all he saw were the swaying branches and rustling leaves, and the unfamiliar darkness that lay beyond the border.
Eventually, he sighed and stretched out his tired limbs. He needed sleep, enough of it to regain his strength, and then he would need to form a plan. Leaving without any sort of strategy would most certainly lead to a wasteful death, if he would not cower in fear before entering the forest to begin with.
His grandmother could not know about any of it, or she would surely stop him. He had to write her a letter, Yi Geum too, to hold them back from recklessly following him once they would realise he had gone missing. Tell them everything he had always wanted them to know.
Baekhyun thought of goodbyes, of everything he would be leaving behind, and for a moment he felt like a complete and utter fool. He had so much to live for, and yet here he sat, considering giving all of that up. Would he be brave enough to trade his future for peace in the kingdom? Was it worth giving up everything?
No matter how often he considered it, he knew it would be. No selfish wish he had could come close to how badly he wanted his loved ones to be safe. And so he was filled with an unbreakable confidence, an unshakable belief that this was fate’s calling.
As he climbed down the stairs, returning to the safety of his bedroom, Baekhyun paused once more. His eyes went back to the eerily quiet forest, and as he felt his determination flow to the tips of his fingers and the soles of his feet, he grinned at the darkness.
“I’ll be coming for you, wretched evil.”
Then he disappeared inside, hell bound on coming up with a master plan in the limited hours before the next sunset. Because time was of the essence, and every minute would count.
⁂
Baekhyun wrote four letters. One to his grandmother, one to Yi Geum, one to Junmyeon, and one to Sehun. Each held words of gratitude along with careful instructions on what he wished from them after his leaving. Whether that be to live in happiness, or to ensure the safety of the ones Baekhyun held dear, he wrote down everything he would never be able to say.
He kept them hidden in the single drawer in his desk while he went about his day, making his usual rounds in the morning and helping with the cooking in the afternoon. But unlike yesterday, there was a heaviness incessantly weighing down on him. A constant awareness that this was the last time he would feed the animals, the last time he would water the flowerbeds, and the last time he would taste his grandmother’s cooking.
It made him more emotional than he had expected, thinking of his possible death, but no matter how choked up he got, he still forced himself to eat. He could neither let his grandmother get suspicious, nor would he survive for long on an empty stomach, and so he ate until he felt like he would explode if he were to take another bite.
“Thankfully I made enough,” his grandmother smiled at him, “since you are acting like a starving man.”
Baekhyun’s heart squeezed painfully in his chest at the thought of never seeing her smile like that again, but he pushed the idea away the second it entered his brain.
“I cannot help it, halmoni. Homegrown food just tastes so much better than what they serve at the palace.”
Her chuckle was bright as she began to put away the empty dishes, looking perfectly content. It was as if there was nothing she worried about, as if the threat of a Deimos was something she was blissfully unaware of, and Baekhyun was reminded of why he would be following through on his insane plan. It was so she could look this happy for the rest of her days, even if it was Junmyeon who would be sitting across from her instead of him.
Baekhyun watched his grandmother as she followed a routine that had not changed since he had been a child. For as long as she would live, she would continue to repeat the same tasks in the same sequence without ever getting bored. It did not matter whether her grandson was here, at the palace, or if he were dead.
It was a small consolation that gave him some peace of mind, knowing that his absence would not turn her life upside-down. It meant his time at the palace had been good for more than just his grandmother’s health, and he could not help but be thankful for the decisions he had made all those months ago. They had led him here, to the point where he was willing to sacrifice his own life for hers.
“Halmoni,” he called out, feeling a sudden nostalgia wash over him. The way she hummed to let him know she was listening reminded him of when he had been young, and he felt the warmth and affection of his childhood when she turned to look at him. He could almost see the ghost of her younger self, standing right beside her; the smiles on their faces were exactly the same, even though time had left its mark in other ways.
It convinced Baekhyun even more that he was doing the right thing. He would be paying his debt in full, and regardless of how much his grandmother would disapprove of his scheme if she were to find out about it, it was his decision to make.
“I am so grateful for you, you know that right?” Baekhyun finally finished his sentence, hoping his sincerity was visible in his gaze.
Judging by the way a look of weariness passed on his grandmother’s face, it showed more than that. Her eyes narrowed, smile faltering slightly, and for a second Baekhyun was afraid she could see right through him. Did she know about his plan? Had he given it away by saying such a sentimental thing?
He was about to take it all back, to try and patch up the situation, but then his grandmother actually offered up an escape that he would gladly take advantage of.
“Oh son, do not tell me you are feeling guilty about your parents again… I know things are not perfect right now, but I do not regret raising you at all. I am doing okay, and so are you. We will be fine, I promise.”
Baekhyun hoped she was right. He hoped both of them would be at ease once everything had unfolded the way it was destined to. Whether dead or alive, he had faith that he would be able to make a difference.
“Of course, but I wanted to make sure you know. Just in case…”
Walking over to him, she leaned down to hug Baekhyun against her chest, and her reassurance was all he needed to come to terms with his choice. “I know, my boy. Of course I know. I am thankful for you, too.”
Maybe both of them had instinctively known everything was about to change. Maybe, deep down, his grandmother knew Baekhyun was up to no good, but if she did, she did not stop him. Destiny had determined he was meant to put his plan into action, to spare no effort in his attempt to return harmony to the kingdom. And so he would.
Once she let him go, Baekhyun excused himself with an exaggerated yawn, “I am going to rest a little bit before my evening rounds. Call for me if you need me, okay?”
With an agreeing hum, she let him slip away, and only once he was alone in his bedroom did he let any kind of sadness slip through the cracks in his countenance. Baekhyun leaned against a pillar, closing his eyes as he fought the tears caused by the aching of his heart, and then he released a heavy exhale.
“Goodness…” he mumbled to himself, hands squeezed into fists at his sides as a single tear rolled down his cheek.
Baekhyun’s next inhale was shaky, almost turning him into a sobbing mess, but he held it together solely because of his unwavering faith. He had not changed his mind at any point during the day; he would be leaving soon.
Steadfast and with little time to spare, Baekhyun began to undress. He stripped down completely, folding his robes and turning to the weapons he had readied in the early hours of the morning. He began with the smallest dagger, attached to a leather band that he fastened around his upper thigh. He had sharpened it himself, and the casing was decorated with a faded drawing of his father’s initials. It was the dagger he always used whenever he went to pick berries or gather flowers, and if he were to die tonight, at least he would have something he owned to take to the afterlife with him.
Then Baekhyun brushed his hair, taking the time to get every little knot out of his shoulder-length locks before he braided the sections right behind his bangs, wanting to make sure they would stay out of his face. The intricate task calmed him down, keeping his attention on his hair instead of the near future, and for a while he just made braid after braid, until a handful of them helped tie back the loose hair on either side.
One glance outside told him the sun had begun to sink from its highest spot in the sky, marking the beginning of the end. Life was sifting through his fingers like sand in an hourglass, and the sun was counting down with him to the very last grain.
With his hair done, Baekhyun donned himself in a pure white overcoat, specifically chosen to draw attention to himself. He hid another dagger in the waistband, buttoned up the front, tied the ribbons, and then reached for his sword.
He may not be as skilled a swordsman as Yi Geum, but he had watched plenty of guards practise their craftsmanship to know how to yield it. He would need his dagger for precision if he aimed to kill the Deimos, but he did not need precision to wound the enemy, and so he would be bringing his sword along.
To avoid suspicion, he hid the weapon outside his window, ensuring he would pass by his grandmother empty handed, and before he left his room, he checked every precaution he had put in place one final time.
The letters and all his leftover money were neatly placed on top of his desk alongside the pills he had saved the night before. They were all there, and they were his only worthy possessions. It was a bit pitiful that this was all he would be leaving behind, but he did not own anything other than this. Nothing but the love he held for others, and he intended to carry that with him until the very end.
With all his preparations out of the way, Baekhyun slowly let his gaze wander around the room. He wondered if he would ever set foot in it again, or if this was the last he would see of the farm, maybe even the world…
“Enough.”
He turned his back to everything and promptly stepped outside his room. His wildly-beating heart slammed against his ribcage, the heavy thumping sound loud and present in his ears. Baekhyun had to do it now, rip off the bandage and just go, or else he would lose all his courage. If he did not reach the forest before dusk, he doubted he would be brave enough to enter.
“Halmoni, I will be going for my final round now,” he said once he spotted his grandmother in the front garden, checking her bean sprouts in one of the vegetable beds. She looked up at him, taking in the way he was dressed, but before she could splutter anything about his choice of wardrobe, Baekhyun had turned away.
He knew that if he were to pause and really look at her now, he would give himself away. The tears he had swallowed back in his bedroom were still very much at the forefront, and one wrong move could make him spill everything.
It was why he grabbed his most favourite basket and walked away, as if this was any other day and he would be back soon. Though the moment he turned the corner, he dropped the hamper and faced the wall, biting down on his lower lip so hard that he swore he could taste blood.
Walking away was so much harder than he had thought it would be, and he actively had to hold himself back from turning around to catch one more glimpse of his grandmother. He told himself it would not ease his ailing heart in any way. In fact, it could easily make him give up on his mission, and he had come too far to back down now.
‘Toughen up ’ he told himself, harshly slamming a fist against the wall. The sudden pain was all it took for his mind to clear, and every reason for his decision struck him at once like a bolt of lightning in an otherwise clear sky.
It instilled in him a bout of bravery. A resolution that had him stalk towards the other side of the house, where his sword was hidden right outside his bedroom window. It was in that moment, when he grabbed it and felt its weight in the palm of his hand, that the realisation of what he was about to do dawned on him.
No matter what would happen tonight, he was acutely aware of how he would be giving up his life the second he would cross the woodland border. Whether the Deimos would kill him for his soul, or if it would find in him what it had been looking for in a mate, Baekhyun knew he would never again return to the life he had lived here.
Coming to terms with the loss of that part of him had been the least complex element of his plan. After all, other than the people he loved, there was not much that he would miss about his past. It made it so much simpler to leave, to say his goodbyes to the house he had lived in half his life, and start down the path leading to the gates at the back of their estate.
Baekhyun felt the wispy grass caressing his legs as he walked down the trail, the feathered reeds leaving behind little specks of colour on the white fabric of his overcoat. He smiled as he let the fingers of his left hand gently sweep along their plumes, and for a second he managed to forget everything but the natural world.
This part of their grounds was covered in the most beautiful wild foliage. From powder-blue mounds to tall grasses with blades in bold shades of purple and red. They were most beautiful in the fall, once all the flowers had lost their charms, but Baekhyun would not be around to appreciate them then. He had to enjoy their beauty now, while he still could.
In the distance, he spied his first hurdle: a heavy iron gate, hidden by a waterfall of verdant green ivy. It had not been used in years, but it opened to the fields behind it, leading to the forest.
It had been closed and locked since the last time Baekhyun had roamed the forest, but some simple digging had led him to the rusty old key without any trouble. It helped that his grandmother did not expect him to ever need it again, and so the thing had been kept in plain sight. Now it hung around his neck, tied to a thin leather string and ready to be used.
Upon his arrival at the iron door, he found that though the ivy had touched it, the layer of vines was not too thick to cut through. And thankfully, it was the side that had the keyhole in it which was left mostly unaffected.
Baekhyun stopped, dropping his sword so he could pull the key from around his neck, and he stared at it for one long moment before he made up his mind and inserted the metal shank inside the lock. It turned with far too little effort to make sense, but the boy was not about to question his good fortune in any way.
The gate unlocked without any difficulty, though the thick ivy on the other end of the wall was preventing it from falling open. Baekhyun had to pick up his sword and cut through thick stems, pulling at roots until they broke away from the stone wall they had attached themselves to. Sweat beaded on his brow, his pulse picking up the longer it took, and he prayed that his grandmother would not come looking for him yet or else everything would fail.
After another surge of energy, finally the vines came down, allowing the gate to swing open with a pained creaking noise. The wind gushed through the opening, blowing up the dust that had broken away from the ivy roots, and Baekhyun held a hand in front of his face while he stepped through it.
In front of him, a whole new world stretched out as far as the eye could see, like a sea of green beginning at his feet. The grass was not too tall, no higher than his ankles, but its vibrant colours were not what caught Baekhyun’s eye anyway.
Instead, the stunning orange hue that lit up the trees in the distance was what captured his attention. The grass along the woodland border looked like it had been lit on fire, and its flames were licking up the trunks of the trees. It was even more spectacular up close than it had been from the rooftop, and Baekhyun inhaled deeply while he took in the glowing amber.
Somehow it felt thrilling to be standing there, giving in to the unknown. To heed the calling he had felt in his bones for so long. He believed it would lead him to something better, even if something better entailed death.
To feel the wind whip around him, playing with his braids, made him realise how it had been a long time since he had last felt so alive. As he stood there at the gate, his heart soaring and hand tightly gripping his sword, an inexplicable excitement filled him from head to toe. It reminded him of his youth, of friendship and puppy love, and a boy with the brightest laugh and most beautiful tan skin.
The memories were like a breath of fresh air, encouraging him to seek new adventures, and so he turned at once, pushing the gate shut without even bothering to take out the key. He would not be needing it again, anyway.
“Goodbye, old life.”
Before he knew it, his legs were carrying him, down the hill towards the forest. He ran away from familiarity and towards uncertainty, feeling like a bird set free.
The world was still but for the sound of his feet touching the grass and his own incredulous laughter, which was drowned out by the vastness of the open space. Baekhyun ran until his lungs were burning and he had completely exhausted himself, and then he came to a stop.
The distance between the gate and the woodlands was too big to cross at once, but he had made it far enough that he no longer worried about being caught. If his grandmother were to find him now, he would be able to outrun her, and that meant his plan had been successful.
He laughed to himself, tilting his head back and spreading his arms out next to him as he took in the impressive size of the trees. They stood tall like guards, ten times Baekhyun’s height, and the closer he came, the smaller he felt.
It took him a good five minutes to reach the border, and as he ambled towards it, he watched the clouds in the sky follow his direction. It was as if they were guiding him, or perhaps sending him off on his journey, and Baekhyun briefly wondered if they had knowledge of what fate had in store for him.
He noted how the bright orange of the sun had turned to a burnt shade of scarlet in the minutes that had passed, making it clear there was no time left to lose. Soon the world would lose its warmth, snuffed out like a candle, and perhaps his life would too.
Dusk was upon them.
It was a surreal sensation, standing so close to the forest for the first time in forever. Baekhyun remembered how often he had come there as a young boy, flitting between tree trunks to chase the squirrels, or gathering the wild berries that grew in the area. Tonight, however, he was roaming far deeper into the woods, ignoring his grandmother’s advice to always remain in sight and never go out past sunset.
“I’m sorry, halmoni,” he whispered against the darkness, never taking his eyes away from the sight in front of him. “I hope you forgive me.”
The first line of trees looked like a portal to another dimension, painted a warm carmine and luring him in with false promises of beauty. After one more deep inhale, Baekhyun attached his sword to the belt around his waist, and he looked back over his shoulder one final time. The sun had almost fully sunk behind the farm, and the stone walls around the land looked dark and looming from down here.
It was with that last glance of the closed iron gate, the dying rays of light shining from behind it, that Baekhyun closed one chapter of his life and began writing the next.
The sound of dry branches snapping under his feet warned the forest of an intruder, but the narrow path that lay ahead of him welcomed him like an old friend. Baekhyun took careful steps, keeping his eyes and ears open at all times, as slowly he trudged deeper into the unfamiliar wilderness. He had no light with him whatsoever, no torch to illuminate the way. Once darkness would truly fall, he would be subjected to the horrors of the night, and so he begged with every step he took for the Deimos to find him before the world would turn pitch black.
For a while he walked, hoping to detect any kind of movement from the corner of his eyes, but apart from a single bird here and there, Baekhyun saw nothing remarkable. Nothing but the shifting colours around him as they lost their warmth and left behind only tints of green, brown, and blue.
With the forest growing darker, he almost stumbled over the roots of a massive tree, ending up slamming his hand on the trunk before flinging himself against it. His heart jumped to his throat, and Baekhyun wrapped his arm around the wood as he rested his forehead against the bark, taking a second to breathe.
“Such a fool,” he mumbled to himself, quietly laughing under his breath, but he remained standing there until his heart had calmed down completely. “Okay, focus.”
He was about to push himself away from the trunk and continue on his way, having regained his footing, when he first heard the mysterious noise: a hollow tapping sound coming from far above him. Something appeared to be travelling through the treetops, and the sharp thumping it caused was being transmitted through the thick bark underneath his fingertips.
The second he straightened himself, head tipping back to find the source of the sound, a loud, persistent rustling was heard on his left. Baekhyun dropped his gaze again just as quickly, hoping to find whatever it was that was undoubtedly inching closer to him, but it was clearly more comfortable hiding in the shadows.
When there was a lull in sound, the strange noises having died down for a moment, Baekhyun had this eerie feeling creeping up on him. As if he was being cornered by something alien, and whatever had surrounded him was now in a position to strike at any point.
A chill shot up his spine, his own breathing as quiet as a mouse’s while he tried to identify the other presence in the space around him. But when nothing happened and the sinister feeling did not leave him, his body launched itself from its spot at the tree, and his legs thrust themselves ahead.
He was running, unaware of where to, but all he knew was that he had to get away. Something was wrong, and the moment he darted off, the rustling sound followed him. Whatever was trailing him picked up speed whenever Baekhyun did too, and that was all it took for him to believe he was being tracked. He bolted, sprinting as quickly as his legs would carry him while his fingers tightly curled around the sword at his hip. He had to find a clearing, somewhere the last light would be able to illuminate the forest, and he would keep going for as long as he had to in order to find it.
For a minute or so it seemed like he was able to outrun whatever was nipping at his heels, but then the sounds were not just coming from behind or above, but also from ahead of him. They were closing in, driving him into a corner, and Baekhyun knew by then that he was trapped.
The brightness that managed to make it through the branches above, threw light on the patch of grass in front of him, and what he saw there made him come to a halt immediately.
“Oh no .”
He saw eight, long, skeletal legs as dark as the night, crawling across the grass towards him. A spine-like tail swung around in the air, hovering over a creature the size of his head, and a pair of bright white eyes stared at him hungrily.
As he gasped at the sight, a shrill shrieking could be heard from above, and Baekhyun realised with horror that there was more than one of these creatures coming for him. There were at least ten, all advancing towards him now, and they were moving fast.
The spindly monsters leapt from the trees to pounce on him, attempting to grip his limbs with their tails, and Baekhyun grunted dejectedly as he kicked the first away from him. This was not what he had planned, this was not the Deimos who had come for him, and as stubborn as he was, he refused to surrender his life to these ugly monsters.
Dardanos.
Baekhyun reached for his sword while he recalled everything his grandmother had told him about these creatures. Their skulls were impenetrable, their tails strong enough to strangle a horse, and they would pursue any living being suitable to host their brood. He knew that in order to kill, he would have to strike the soft underside of the creature’s body, which was easier said than done, especially when multiple were coming at him at once.
After barely managing to slice the delicate flesh of one Dardanos, Baekhyun felt another slam into his shoulder, using its tail to rip the fabric of his coat before trying to curl around his neck and choke him.
“ No ,” he yelled, swiftly grabbing a hold of the bones and tugging until the tail came loose. “It’s not- supposed- to go- like this.”
Baekhyun kicked a second Dardanos away while stabbing a third with his sword, and though everything seemed completely hopeless with how many there were left to chase him, he tried to escape by running for it.
“No, no ,” he kept shouting when yet another monster jumped at him, trying to smother him once and for all, “I am not here for you!”
The Dardanos scurried after him when Baekhyun bolted away, zipping between the trees with nimble steps. He managed to avoid every bush or plant in his way and jump across every visible root on the path; however, although he was good at dodging their attacks, he lacked the speed he needed to stay ahead.
He felt a bony tail twist itself around his ankle, right when he wanted to lift his foot, and that was the biggest mistake he could have made. The suspension of his leg in the air made it easy for the Dardanos to tug, flooring him in one fell swoop, and the moment his body slammed against the ground, Baekhyun knew he was done for. The tail around his leg tightened its grip, and fighting back was futile.
For some reason, it did not stop him from trying. Filled with a burning determination, he swung his arm around in the hopes his sword would meet a target to somehow get him out of this mess.
“Get off me!” He hollered, clawing at the creatures’ skeletal shell with the desperation of a mad man, and the monster screeched loudly before trying to attack a second time.
Baekhyun crawled away, attempting to get back to his feet so he could fight properly, but before he could get anywhere, the Dardanos had clamped down his leg and was trying to clamber up his thigh. Behind it, others were rushing over to join, all trying to conquer him as their host, and sooner or later one of them would come out victorious.
This was it. This was how he was going to die, and his death would be even more meaningless than he had expected it to be. What a sad way to go, all his effort having been in vain. He could hardly believe it.
“Please,” Baekhyun begged, his voice but barely a whisper that was drowned out by the shrill screeches of the monsters attacking him. He crossed his arms in front of his face, closing his eyes to the world as he shut himself out and prayed for the forgiveness of all the people he had so recklessly left behind. He expected the Dardanos to squeeze shut his windpipe any second now, ending his miserable life without a hitch. But the moment he felt those scrawny legs touch his arm, the creature shrieked with such a high-pitched noise that Baekhyun’s eyes flew open.
The Dardanos was fleeing, leaping away from him as quickly as its legs would allow it to move, and Baekhyun sat there absolutely bewildered, wondering what had made it run so abruptly.
He did not want to celebrate his win too soon, but he could not help but heave a sigh of relief that he had escaped death for now. It was not until he had turned over, trying to get up on his hands and knees, that he realised the monsters trying to kill him had fled for the exact same reason.
There was a tall shadow looming over him, and Baekhyun felt its presence before he actually saw it. It caused him to cower, and when he finally dared to let his eyes travel upwards to take it in, his heart surged up and up, settling as high in his throat as it could.
His shoulders went up too, body folding in on itself in response to the sheer force of the man in front of him. Because the Deimos that had terrorised the kingdom… it was there.
Its skin was a deep blood red, a shade far darker than portrayed on the posters hung up in every village, and its size was just as disproportionate. Though the man towering over him was taller than any human he had ever seen, he was no giant, nor was he fat in any way. His body was lean, sharp muscles and chiselled chest on display, though more than that Baekhyun did not get to take in.
A gust of wind made the leaves around him rustle and the grass tremble in fear as impressive wings unfolded behind the Deimos’s back. They stretched tall, reaching far above the man’s head, and Baekhyun could not hide his amazement as raven-black feathers were ruffled by the movement.
The light they caught reflected the deep red sheen that covered each quill, and its blazing shimmer caused the Dardanos to scream again.
Baekhyun feared another attack, this time on the creature he had been wanting to find, but he could not have been more wrong. One courageous Dardanos tried to leap at the Deimos, aiming for its shoulder, but it stood no chance. A supple and strong tail cracked through the air like a whip, the end gracefully coiling around the creature before hurling it against a nearby tree.
Baekhyun’s heart was back in his throat, his eyes wide as he took in the magnificent power of the Deimos. It did not have to exert any energy to get the spidery monsters away from him. Its tail did all the work, brushing aside a second Dardanos as it tried to come at him.
Realising they would be unable to fight the tall half-human, half-demon, the creatures effortlessly redirected their energy toward a more suitable target. Before he knew it, Baekhyun was being charged again. A Dardanos was crawling up his leg at a maddingly fast pace, and he screamed in pure fear as death played the fiddle once again.
Yet, against all predictions, it did not reach the finale of its sonata. A large, human-like hand found the monster before Baekhyun had been able to defend himself. The demon’s palm was big enough to cover the Dardanos’s entire shell, and large, blackened nails dug into the impenetrable skeleton until the immense pressure cracked every bone like they were nothing but twigs.
Once the creature was dead, it was cast aside easily, and Baekhyun wanted to cry because he had never in his life been this scared. Everything was happening so quickly that sound hardly registered in his mind, and his body was completely frozen, rendered useless.
The Deimos battled every last Dardanos that had not fled, breaking them in half like fortune cooking or throwing them against trees like it loved hearing the sound of snapping bones. Baekhyun wondered if he would be next, if his body would crack the same way, but it seemed the demon had different plans for him.
As another Dardanos targeted him, scurrying towards Baekhyun across the ground, suddenly that red, slender tail curled around his ankle and pulled him up in the air. With a yelp, Baekhyun felt the blood rush to his head, his sword clattering to the ground when the world turned upside down, but it kept him beyond the Dardanos’s reach.
The Deimos kept him still, even though the demon continued to kill every last monster in sight, and Baekhyun watched the man strike with extreme precision time and time again.
His blood-red skin seemed to glow in the golden twilight, as magnificent as the setting sun when it cast its light on the very forest this creature roamed. Baekhyun could not help but see its beauty and admire its strength as he began to feel more and more lightheaded the longer he was suspended in the air.
Eyelids flickering shut, he heard the final shrill cry of a Dardanos, and then a sudden, profound silence. A stillness so peaceful that Baekhyun could do nothing but surrender to it.
Right before he succumbed to the enthralling darkness, he felt the warmth of two arms around him and the softness of a voice in his ear as it whispered to him with the voice of an angel.
“ Finally .”
⁂