**TW: this chapter has violence, blood and weapons are mentioned, etc. Fair warning.
A cold wind brushed over the earth and twirled in the air, sending silver hair and simple white clothes flowing this way and that. A prince stood alone, facing the restless sea and listening to the grass dance in the wind around his feet. The darkened sky stood as a warning of bad weather bearing down, and as a warning that everything was going to change. For better or for worse.
Upon returning to the City of the Sun, Prince Jisung split away from Minho, who continued on to the castle while he came here; to a place by the sea, a place not so far from where he shared his first kiss with the Sun Prince. But he was no there to reminisce.
"So you came after all," Jisung spoke after some time, keeping his eyes on the never-ending sea laid out before him. If these were his last moments, he wanted to soak in this view for as long as possible.
"I should have known I wouldn't be rid of you so easily."
"That's precisely why I've invited you here. You personally want to see to it that I'm gone for good." Jisung finally brought himself to turn around, facing his father several feet away. "Or am I wrong?"
The Moon King chuckled, leaning on his already-drawn sword. "You've grown very bold, Jisung. I suppose that's something you learned from Prince Minho."
Jisung held onto the ice encasing his heart. "You should be more worried about what else I learned," he said, raising his dagger, eyes low and cold.
"So you escaped those criminals and made it all the way back here just for me to kill you off without anyone knowing?"
"By the laws of the continent and our gods, inflicting harm upon those descended from the Moon or the Sun is a grievous sin and a crime punishable by death."
A light scoff. "So you wish to pay me back? To get revenge? Justice?"
Jisung smiled a little, but it was icy. "I do not need revenge when I have the laws of the gods on my side. Killing a descendant results in gruesome torture and death unless a fellow descendant of the same god challenges another."
The Moon King's gaze hardened, and he straightened up. "What are you-"
"I challenge you, King of the Moon, to a fight to the death." Jisung remained where he was, eyes resolute, dagger raised. As if in answer to such words, thunder rumbled loudly in the distance.
"If you were to kill me, would that truly solve your problems? Half of my court is loyal to me and will do everything in their power to make you miserable in my stead."
"I'll handle that when the time comes." It was a partial lie, but the King didn't need to know that. Jisung's plan went far deeper than just killing his tyrant of a father. This was nothing more than a trap. One that would take the Moon King to his knees even if the Prince lost his life in the end.
"I'll give you one last chance to back down, my son."
"The challenge has been issued, there is no backing out by law of the gods." Jisung felt unsteady on his feet, his heart twisting and falling into irregular patterns, but his hand was steady, his dagger ready to draw blood. This was a long time coming. Deep down, he always knew that in the end he would lose his life to his father, or he would have to take his father's life. It was written into fate from the moment the king betrayed his little boy.
"You truly are a fool," The Moon King sneered, standing straight and raising his sword. "I've dreamed of the day I'm able to kill you. And now you've given me the chance to do so without any consequences."
Despite living all these years in agony and fear, despite knowing of the king's utter hatred from him, those words caused an intense ache in Jisung's heart. He'd never truly had a father. And the child inside him, the one that once loved his 'pa' cried out.
"Then try to fulfill your wish."
It was instant. The king's sword flashed, and Jisung leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade and aiming for the king's side at the same time. The hit missed, and he barely avoided another swing of the sword.
The Moon King stumbled along the uneven ground, giving Jisung an open space. His dagger slashed across the king's thigh. He let out an angry growl, whipping around so fast the Prince didn't have much time to react.
A boot met Jisung's chest, sending him to the ground. He rolled, but the sword managed to cut a deep gash into his shoulder.
Up and down, left and right, the king and the Prince dodged and attacked, their battle drowned out by the symphony of the oncoming storm. The sky was tumultuous like Jisung's heart, erratic and flickering like his soul. The fire in his lungs burned him from the inside out.
He was ready to be free from his father one way or another. He was ready to end this all. And he only had hope as long as his body could stand. The King was weakening, but so was Jisung. He hadn't given himself much time to recover.
Jisung lunged forward at another point, his lungs beginning to strain with exhaustion, and this time, his dagger found a true target. The blade wedged into the Moon King's ribs on his right side, sending blood spraying onto Jisung's already red-spotted clothes. But the prince's heart plunged into cold depths when a short laugh escaped his father.
"Foolish boy." The King leaned into the dagger, causing it to slide deeper into his body and making Jisung's eyes widen. He threw Jisung off his body, who caught himself in a crouch just barely. "Do you not realize why I've stayed in power unchallenged for so long?" A strained chuckle. "I'm practically impossible to kill."
Jisung was panting, trying to steady his breath as he watched his father pull the dagger out and stagger while blood flowed freely from the deep wound. And for a moment, he froze. Just like always the Prince was on the ground while the king towered over him.
"I'm not afraid to do what it takes to win." The Moon King smiled. "That includes letting myself take a hit all in the name of disarming you." He lunged.
Jisung threw himself to the side, but he'd forgotten the king still had his sword. The blade flashed under a clap of lightning, and all the Prince could register was the feeling of cold steel and warm blood.
His back hit the ground, and he tried crawling back in a panic at the sight of the gaping wound carving up his chest. The sword had barely missed cutting his throat open, but the deep red blood staining his white clothes had his mind going numb.
The sword jerked down, cutting down the side of Jisung's leg and pinning his trousers to the ground. "You cannot run away this time," the king growled out, stepping forward.
Jisung cried out when the Moon King's boot pressed onto his wounded chest harshly, and his immediate instinct was to curl around himself and take what was given to him. He grasped at his father's boot, trying to pry it off and biting his lip to keep his whimpers of pain silent. It felt as if his wound was on fire, piercing into his nerves like hot needles.
The Moon King tilted his head. "It really is a shame," he hummed, bending down and setting the dagger against Jisung's cheek. "You could have been a great asset to me. My loyal little dog, just like your mother." The dagger dragged down, shallowly cutting a line and making Jisung squeeze his eyes shut. "But you were born pretty and sick in the head. A truly unfortunate case."
Jisung gasped sharply when the dagger suddenly dug into the area just below his collarbones. His hazy vision focused on the cruel, lifeless eyes above him. "So you hate me just because I was born imperfect."
"I hate you simply because you were born. You've only given me more reasons to hate you throughout your life."
Jisung winced as the dagger dug deeper. His vision threatened to gray out, but he kept his eyes glued to his father's. He coughed while the dagger gradually killed him, and he felt blood trickle from the corner of his mouth. "Say that again," he rasped.
The Moon King smiled a cold, sardonic smile. "Perhaps it's a good thing you escaped those slavers. You want to hear it again?" He yanked the dagger away, only to grab Jisung's throat, raising him a few inches off the ground and robbing him of air. "I've hated you from the moment you were born, and killing you now, is my pleasure."
Jisung struggled against the stoney grip, his feet uselessly trying to kick himself back from his father's hands, choked gasps threatening to be his last breaths. "You-" he tried to keep his mind clear. "You sold me."
"I did. And now I've killed you."
A pained smile. Little did the king know, he had an audience. "You're ruined." Jisung pulled Minho's small knife from the sheath at his waistband, blindly stabbing the king's arm.
The Moon King stumbled back with a curse, dropping the Prince on the ground. "You insolent, disgusting creature!" he bellowed as Jisung gasped for air.
They all know now. They know his true nature. The plan has worked.
A rough scream ripped from Jisung's throat when his hair was suddenly grabbed, harshly yanking him up. The fast movement sent his vision spiraling, the blood spilling from his body making him nauseous and light headed. He tried reaching up to fight against the painful grip, but he was abruptly dragged forward, wrenching another cry from his lungs.
"I'll see you in hell, Prince of the Moon."
Jisung's eyes flew open, and his body went numb. They were nearing the cliff that dropped into the sea far below. He dug his nails into his father's hand, had tried getting his feet under himself.
The Moon King suddenly stopped, grabbing Jisung's tattered clothes and slamming him down. Jisung's head struck the rocky ground hard, and his vision blacked out for a few terrifying seconds. He registered a pull on his clothes before he was slammed down yet again. He felt his body go limp.
"If you survive this fall, you're going to have one hell of a night."
Suddenly, Jisung was a little boy again. As his father grabbed his clothes and dragged him forward, he weakly grabbed the man's arms. "Please- please don't, Pa!" Tears pooled in his darkening vision. "I'll be good, please. Don't do this." They were words he'd said so long ago, and it seemed they would be his last.
The Moon King stopped at the edge of the cliff, his stormy eyes meeting Jisung's. And his mask of fury cracked, as if seeing a young boy, his young boy for the first time. "I'm sorry, son."
And he threw him.
◇◇◇
Minho was on his feet the moment the doors of the throne room burst open, the clamor of angry shouts and loud protests filling the giant space in seconds. Emotions clouded his system upon observing the chaos.
The Moon King was in shackles, cursing and spitting, bellowing and thrashing against soldiers of the Sun and Moon alike. Court members were crowding around him, belittling him and throwing threats like knives aimed for a once respected king. Everyone was turning against him, just as planned. But... Jisung was nowhere to be seen.
The Sun Queen, who had waited with her son, was on her feet as well, ordering nearby guards and other court members in an attempt to manage the chaos. As for Minho's father, who was among the crowd, he rushed forward, his pale face and downcast eyes instantly making Minho nauseous.
"Where is Jisung?"
"Minho-"
"Where is he?"
"This is all a vile trick!" The Moon King snarled, still trying to fight as he was forced to kneel before the dais.
Both members of the Sun and Moon courts began shouting again, calling him names and damning him to an eternity of hell.
"Silence!"
The shouts diminished into murmurs that ceased entirely upon the Sun Queen's command, and she glared down her nose at the northern king. "Your title is hereby stripped."
"Blasphemy!"
"Everyone was a witness to your own spoken words," The Sun King interrupted, his booming voice drawing the attention of all within the room. "Hatred and cruelty towards your own son is rotten enough, let alone treating a descendant of the gods as nothing more than scum on your shoe."
The Moon King was pale, breathless, his sickly eyes blown open. His side was drenched in blood, and he was covered in cuts and bruises. He was losing everything before his eyes, even his life from each drop of blood. But Minho was far from feeling victorious, because Jisung still wasn't here. The awful man seemed to notice the Prince's lack of smugness, because he smiled.
"In a challenge of death, only one may emerge the victor, Prince Minho. And here I am, alive." He began laughing.
"Minho!"
His mother's shout went unheard. Everything blurred, everything went quiet as Minho's body moved. All he felt was numbness. All he heard was a sharp ringing. And all he saw were his fists drawing blood as they connected with the Moon King's face over and over again.
Hands grabbed him, arms pulled him back and restrained him. Minho fought like an animal, and as he was removed from the tyrant, as his senses slowly came back into focus, he realized tears were streaming down his face.
"He's alive, he's alive, Minho," his father's voice came through his muffled hearing. "He's alive."
Minho's ragged breathing came into focus, and he reached up to touch the arms holding him down. "Chan."
"I'm here, Your Highness."
The Sun Prince didn't try pulling free, but he set his molten gaze on the man he so wished to kill. The man that was coughing and bloodied, yet still laughing under his breath. "You were not the only one betraying Prince Jisung. Were you? Who else is loyal to you?"
The Moon King spat blood off to the side and shook his head. "It was just me. I was the only one with a reason for hating the whelp."
Minho's stomach dropped. In the mess of everything leading up to this plan, leading up to this moment, he'd failed to gather sufficient evidence on other traitorous members of the Moon court. His only source of evidence was Seungmin, and the assassin still hadn't made an appearance. Meaning Sulong, the one man that could bring the king's men to their knees, was out of reach.
The Moon King smiled further. "Ah, wondering what happened to your little spy? He's long gone, I'm afraid. My condolences."
Minho's breath staggered while the king laughed.
"Did you really think it'd be that easy to kill me?"
All eyes moved toward a beam running across the ceiling several feet above them, and with a few small jumps, a figure dressed in black dropped to the floor in a crouch. Seungmin raised his head wearing a crooked smirk. His face was bruised, dried blood running a line down his temple and along his lip, and his clothes were tattered and torn. But he was here. And the king clearly didn't expect it.
"Bu- but you're dead-" a rough cough "-I killed you myself."
"You made a valiant effort to do so, I suppose," Seungmin hummed casually, rising to his feet, though he was a little unsteady. "I'm afraid you killed your own advisor, Your Majesty. Sulong very graciously took on my appearance with the help of a handy little potion I've used from time to time."
The Moon King somehow grew more pale. "You-"
"That's why he was begging you to spare him, to trust him."
"But- but you- how dare-"
"Oh, and I know exactly who assisted you in harming Prince Jisung through the years and even assisted in kidnapping him."
Murmurs spilled through the room, uncertain and nervous feet shuffled.
"You have no proof of anything."
Seungmin tilted his head. "Oh I don't?" He pulled a small pouch from his breast pocket and held it up with another crooked grin. He cocked his head. "The thing about slavers is that they are very careful when it comes to their trade and those that hire them. As a precaution, a seal is required to be given to them so they may track down their contractor just in case. Do you know what else comes with those seals? That's right, signatures."
"May I see that?" The Sun King asked holding his hand out.
The assassin gladly handed the pouch over. "Each vial in this little bag has been stamped with the seals of each member that contributed to the cruelty of Prince Jisung. Their signatures are secured in a place only I know of. Besides, all we need to do is speak with your son, and your power, your minions, your army, will all turn to dust." Seungmin smiled at Jisung's father. "No further evidence is needed, but I'm sure you've realized that by now."
Minho sagged, praising the gods for Seungmin and his brilliant mind and amazing timing. And he couldn't believe this moment. They'd won.
As the throne room filled with orders from his parents and murmurs and stirring from the crowd, Minho only had one thing on his mind. And Chan knew it.
"Jisung has been taken to the infirmary," Chan explained, pulling his prince toward one of the side doors that led to the servants' passages. "Aja saved his life, but..."
Minho didn't want to hear the rest, nor did he need to. "Take me to him."
------------------------- Would you believe me if I told you this chapter is less chaotic than it originally was? Lol, this is all over the place.
But everything will be made clear in the next chapter, everything will be explained. And maybe Jisung will be fine, you'll just have to see :)
THE MOON BASTARD IS FINALLY DETHRONED. Hell yeah. Just y'all wait for his fate ;)
This book doesn't have much more left. I know it seems short, but with every chapter being at least 3,000 words... you do the math, it's not that short lol
Thanks for following this story and journey! I appreciate y'all and yes, I read every comment, you guys are the best!
Thanks for reading!
(off topic, but skz at the met gala... my beautiful princes! Changbin wrecked me real bad and Seungmin already messes me up. Okay, bye)