Sungjung moved quietly through the shadows. The remaining prophets outside didn't even notice her, or they just pretended they hadn't. She made her way close enough to the central building, and she did her best to listen in on the conversation inside.
She could faintly hear Namjoon speaking to someone, and if she remembered that voice correctly, it was Darian. That wasn't a good sign, and neither were the words Namjoon was speaking.
She froze, and her heart ached for Jungkook and Nari and their daughter. She knew what was going to happen to the baby now that the prophets knew of her existence. The whole plan was to dodge the prophets for Nari's entire pregnancy, and Sungjung felt completely blind-sided by what Namjoon was telling his grandfather. He could have warned her, but she could have also expected this outcome. Namjoon had to report that prophecy. He obviously feared the phoenix more than the prophets.
She did her best to move closer, but the shadows stopped just short of the central building. That was obviously done by design so that sneaky vampires like herself couldn't sleuth around, but the prophets simply forgot to sound proof that entire building.
"He is going to harness the baby's power and destroy everyone. In order to save their daughter, Nari and Jungkook will do nothing to stop him."
Sungjung squeezed her eyes shut. "He's not betraying his sister," she whispered to herself. "He won't give her up."
"Help me retrieve Nari, and you can do as you wish with her. You can imprison her and Jungkook, and you can even imprison me. But that phoenix must be stopped. He's growing in strength by sucking vampires dry of their abilities. We found close to eighty of them completely weakened, and not just from starvation. He is a primal hunter, and he likely learned that from Areum who he has had almost the longest." Sungjung clasped her hands over her mouth, and tears escaped her eyes. "I have a vampire from the Jeon clan just outside as a peace offering until this is over. Use her as you wish."
Namjoon was right; he was a monster.
----
Hoseok breathed deeply as he controlled where the fire escaped from him. He did his best to burn it as hot as he could, and he could feel the metal around his wrist and ankles turn red from the heat.
"Just a little hotter," Sam whispered. "You can do this, Hoseok."
Hoseok nodded, and he pushed his fire to the limit. At least, what he thought was his limit. He yanked his left wrist against the shackle, and he felt it mold against him. He almost had it, and his breathing sped up in anticipation for when the shackle either broke or melted entirely.
"Come on, Hoseok." Sam and Kwangsun whispered together. They both smiled when the first shackled broke, and they did their best to help Hoseok rip the other shackles off.
"Holy shit! That took forever." Hoseok stretched his arms out and sucked air through his teeth at then pain from his tense muscles. "Let's go get Nari out now."
A laugh cut him off, and he turned slowly. The phoenix started clapping at what feeble attempt they had made to escape.
"Very good, Jung Hoseok. I'm so happy to know the real extent of your ability, and the other vampire... Eunjin? Her ability will also do quite well."
"I'm your problem! Leave the rest of them out of it."
"Oh, you're my only problem?" Sarcasm dripped from his mouth, and Hoseok shuddered as the phoenix sauntered towards him. "You're wrong. You may have done this to me, but it was your world that cast my kind aside. We had to create this hell!"
He was too close to Hoseok. Sam and Kwangsun stayed behind Hoseok in what attempts they could make to support him. The phoenix managed to get closer, and he got into Hoseok's face. Hoseok closed his eyes.
"The half-breed you call Nari is mine now. The demon that grows inside of her is mine now. You and these two here are mine now. I let everyone else go, and I won't hesitate to destroy them all starting with your lover if you even make an attempt to leave this world."
----
"Eunjin!" Yoongi cupped his hands around his mouth as he shouted for her. He could hardly see in the haze of the rubble that was left behind, but he knew she was close. He could feel her. "Eunjin, come over here! Let's talk this out!"
"You want to talk this out?" Taehyung asked. "Right now?"
"I'm sorry, Taehyung, but are my relationship issues getting in the way of something for you?" Yoongi whirled on him, and Taehyung held his hands up in defense.
"I mean, the Hunter's Association is about to come down on us with no mercy." Taehyung shrugged. It was Yoongi's relationship, not his.
Yoongi went back to yelling for Eunjin, but in the blink of an eye, a handful of rubble was in Yoongi's mouth. Eunjin stood in front of him and tapped her foot impatiently.
"I'm right here, you baboon." She frowned a little when Yoongi didn't do anything further. "Dumbass, will you spit all that out?"
Yoongi did, and he began wiping his tongue of small rocks and dust. "Why did you put it there in the first place?" he finally asked after a couple of moment of wheezing and spitting.
"You deserved it! I also need to break your fucking legs. I've been itching to do that since you were taken!"
"Oh, so this is what I'm stuck with for the rest of eternity, huh?" He threw his hands in the air and looked up at the hidden sky above them. "What else does the universe have to offer me!"
She kicked him in the shin. He grabbed his leg and hopped around on what foot, and he narrowly avoided tripped over parts of the demolished building. She giggled a little, and slowly she began truly laughing. And for whatever morbid reason, Yoongi began laughing with her, and Taehyung just watched them with slight distaste.
"I miss Nari," he muttered. "She was easier to call stupid." He looked around him, and his eyes settled on Daliania. She was smiling at him, and it was a smile he remembered from so many years before. It was an easy smile she had given him when he actually believed she loved him, and he wanted so badly to reach for her.
But all too soon, that image of her dissipated as the first of the Hunter's Association passed through her. He couldn't see their face since it was covered in a sort of mask to help them breathe through all of the dust in the air.
"Who are you?" Taehyung asked.
"Who do you think, vampire?" That bitter voice had Eunjin and Yoongi halting whatever the fuck it was that they were doing.
"Aeri," Jungkook said from somewhere in the dust. He moved forward then, and Aeri laughed loudly.
"Oh, Jeon, I've been waiting months to see you again." They could hear the grin in her voice. "Where is that worthless little bitch you're hellbent on protecting?"
Jungkook growled. "The last time you laid eyes on her, she was still human, and if I recall correctly, you spent our entire meeting insulting her and trying to get her to return here. I've been waiting months to see you again, too, so I can rip your fucking head off."
"Ah, so she is a disgusting half breed like Kim Namjoon?"
"I'm in no mood for this," Eunjin said. She went to move forward, but Jungkook stopped her.
"She's mine. You can have the others." Jungkook gestured around at the other humans hiding in the dust. "Leave no survivors. I'm sick of their shit anyway."
----
Namjoon leaned back in his chair and stair at Darian expectantly. He knew Sungjung had heard everything, and he hated what she must be thinking of him. It was all part of his plan though. He would make it up to her, and he'd make it up to Nari. Making it up to Jungkook was a long shot.
Darian considered Namjoon's offer for a moment. "You know we will kill you and your twin once this is all over, correct?"
"Of course. We should have never lived to begin with."
Darian hummed in silent agreement as he continued to think. "Show me the prophecy," he finally said as he held his hand out to Namjoon.
"I can only show you what I've seen," he offered. Darian simply nodded, and Namjoon gripped his hand tightly and thrust him into the land of fire he had seen.
The small infant cried out as she was ripped away from her mother. Her mismatched eyes blinked at the wings that enveloped her, and the phoenix's mouth placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead. The screech that followed deafened Namjoon and Darian, but neither flinched.
Nari lied there lifeless with her stomach ripped apart. Flames licked at her skin, and the cries and shouts of Jungkook trying to get to her ran rampant through the trees.
Namjoon showed Darian the child's first few years of life. All of her abilities being harnessed by the phoenix, and they watched his plan unfold. The barrier between the Land of the Phoenix, their world, and the human world completely disintegrated, and every remaining phoenix crawled through their lands leaving destruction in their wake.
There was nothing left. No one was capable of surviving that. And the one phoenix who held tightly to the small girl still had the same burnt and cracked skin even after being restored to his former glory. Even the child couldn't heal the wounds Jung Hoseok had left behind.
Darian blinked rapidly, and Namjoon sat patiently while Darian got his wits about him.
"Do you understand why I came here?" Namjoon finally asked when Darian had nothing more to offer. "We have to stop him. Let's cease our war for now."
What Namjoon didn't know was that just outside, Sungjung sat and pondered over his words. "For now." Those two words told her enough, and she did her best to swallow down the bitterness that rose up in her throat. She would try her best to keep trusting Namjoon, and she hoped that he would not be anything like his late sister.
----
A/N: Double update 😊 There is a method to all of this madness, as you know after reading book one. I hope this little snips of different view points aren't too much. If you want me to write out longer scenes for certain characters, please let me know here.
Also tell me who your favorite characters are! Tell me your favorite parts of this book and book 1. I need to knoooooooow! Also, feel free to give constructive criticism. I have a habit of rush writing chapters, and I know some attention to detail gets left out. Give me whatever feedback you deem appropriate. Just be nice about it please 😘
I love you all!