Orenda | NCT

Chapter 2: Union (part 1)

"He's in his room." Xiaojun told Sona, the male's arms crossed in front of him as he leaned on the hallway walls by the entrance of the base. He had a few scratches on his arms from the battle, but beside that, he looked normal.

Which was the problem.

Despite the battle that ended not too long ago, the people of Feu were acting like they usually were. It was quieter as there was no training for the day to let the citizens recover, but as Sona entered the base, she could tell that there was a heavy shadow that loomed over them.

"He hasn't spoken to anyone since he found out." Xiaojun told Sona as they made their way down the halls, twisting and turning through them. "I think he feels guilty."

"It wasn't his fault though." Sona pointed out, as they stopped in front of a familiar door. The door beside it had an arrangement of red and white flowers with a few candles, a picture of Haesoo sitting in the middle of it all. Sona gulped, blinking back tears as she looked away and could tell that Xiaojun felt the same heavy feeling.

"I think the most upsetting part is that he couldn't say goodbye." Xiaojun said, knocking on Haechan's door before letting Sona in.

...

Grace took a deep breath before pushing the doors open to the meeting room, bowing her head as Jaehyun's father stood up, greeting her.

Jaehyun simply ignored her, lying down with his head on the table. He wasn't even dressed in his standard uniform, sporting a red hoodie instead. His father was about to call him out for it but Grace raised a hand, stopping the General. She shook her hand, signalling that it was fine.

He lost her too.

Grace turned around, looking at Rosa for some support. She would have brought her father, but he was no longer with them and Mark was too busy taking over. The siblings had little time to grieve for the loss of their loved ones, and Grace honestly had no idea whether it was a good thing or not.

Rosa took the lead, knowing that the princess was having a hard time. Grace was thankful as the older girl went straight to the General, the briefcase containing the files in their hands.

While Rosa was dealing with the official business, Grace decided to sit down beside Jaehyun. He didn't move, eyes still staring blankly at the wall behind her, and Grace sighed as she rested her head down on the table, mirroring him.

"Miss her?" Grace asked softly, trying not to cry once she saw the emptiness in Jaehyun's eyes. "I do too."

"You got to see her before she left." Jaehyun said bluntly, barely acknowledging her presence.

"But she had you on her mind the entire time." Grace replied.

She watched as Jaehyun's focus slowly shifted to her, meeting her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want to know what her last words were?" Grace asked, a part of her heart breaking as she recalled the last moments she shared with Haesoo. "Because they weren't about me nor Haechan. They were about you."

"What were they?" Jaehyun asked weakly. It was abnormal seeing Jaehyun in this state, the male typically standing tall and proud with a smirk on his face. Now, he looked like the life was sucked out of him, barely any will to continue on with his life.

"To tell you that she loves you. And that she wants you to live happily even though she's not by your side anymore." Grace told him, sniffling. She sat up, looking away in fear of crying in front of Jaehyun. "She wouldn't want you to be like this, Jaehyun."

Jaehyun didn't say anything, staying silent. Grace decided to let him be, noticing that Rosa and the General had finished their discussion.

"I suppose that is fair." The General sighed, standing up. "The arrangement was between myself and the King, and now that he's gone, I understand if Mark would rather we break it."

There's also a war on the way. Grace thought before glancing at Jaehyun, who had returned to his earlier state. And, he's engaged to someone else.

"Thank you for your understanding." Rosa said, giving Grace a smile before removing a black box from the briefcase. "We will be returning this, shredding the documents, and shall be on our way back to Ombra."

"I wish you both safe travels." The General said, bowing his head, Rosa returned the engagement ring before ripping up the papers that bound her arranged marriage with Jaehyun. A part of her felt relieved, seeing that she was now a free bird. But at the same time, too many sacrifices had to be made to get here.

Grace followed Rosa as they left the meeting room. They flinched as they heard a smash the second the door closed, trying not to laugh as they knew that the General was not happy with their decision.

"No more marriage now." Rosa said as they made their exit. "Your mother likes Jungwoo too, guess it will all go well."

"I guess." Grace answered just as her eyes landed on a familiar door. Behind it was a waiting room, a room where she often hid with Haesoo to avoid training with the boys. They would giggle to each other as they looked around before sneaking in, then remove the cushions from the couch inside, lying on them as they gossiped about what was happening in their own realms.

The emotions came flooding back as she recalled the loss of her best friend, placing a hand on the door. When she closed her eyes, she could hear Haesoo laughing again, and the fact that she would be returning home to her own father's funeral only made it worse.

"Take your time." Rosa reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "We have all the time in the world, there's no rush."

Grace nodded her head, closing her eyes as she stood there, crying in the halls of the base.

...

"Thank you everyone for joining us today." Jisun announced to the people gathered in the meeting room of Eis. None of their eyes were on her, all thinking of what had happened in Orenda.

Jisun had gathered members of the four realms that weren't involved in the battle, Eis, Dealain, Vatten, and Aria. Not all of them could make it though, Jaehee, Jaemin, and Eunhye attending Jeno's father's funeral instead.

Jisun's eyes landed on Sona, who was anything but her usual cheery self. She could see the sadness in her eyes, wondering what could have possibly happened when she visited Haechan earlier that day.

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How we feeling today everyone???