Gabrielle's eyelids were getting heavy from watching over Mingi across the room. She couldn't talk to anyone or even do anything but worry. She was only left looking at Mingi who still hasn't woken up.
Just as she was about to finally let the darkness consume her, she heard multiple sounds of footsteps and grunts from the outside.
"You're going to pay for this!"
Gabrielle froze at the familiar voice. She looked at the door as she swallowed a lump in her throat.
It can't be.
That's not Ravn.
"Dude, my cloak!" Another voice came.
That's not Hwanwoong.
It can never be them.
The louder the sounds have become, the faster her heart beats as if it'll jump out of her ribs. A few other voices began to sound clearer. She could recognize the voices. She knows whose voices they were even if she tries her best to deny it.
The door to the isolated room opened wide and Gabrielle could feel her stomach drop when her thoughts were confirmed. She looked at the boys who were held from behind, her eyes wide and her lips quivering.
At first it was Ravn, he saw Gabrielle inside the cell, looking like a mess. He fell silent, and soon the rest of the boys followed to see her. They all stopped struggling.
"Gabrielle." Seoho muttered as he was being dragged by the guard to a cell.
"M-Mingi." Hwanwoong gasped at the sight of their friend completely unconscious and full of wounds. "What did they do to him?"
They were all harshly shoved into their respective cells. Even Xion was dumped carelessly as well. After the assigned task, the guards just left them like a finished chore.
The room fell silent as the door closed.
"Are you okay?" Ravn asked Gabrielle.
"Why are you all here?" She replied with a question instead, not knowing whether to be angry or to be worried.
"There was nothing else we could do. We needed to do something already." Ravn reasoned out. The rest of the guys nodded in agreement.
"We couldn't afford to waste time anymore." Seoho added.
"And you think this was the right way? Do you even know how Seraphiel would even react if he knew you came down here by yourselves!? In the underworld!? You're basically willing to step into your own cages!"
"Seraphiel approved of this. He wanted to do this. We planned this. We came here with a plan until things happened."
"He knew this? Then how could he leave you all here? He should be with you." She started to get frustrated. "Just stop making excuses of your pointless decisions. Nothing's going to change anyways."
"We're not making excuses, Elle! Seraphiel is with us. He lead us. Also San."
"Oh really? Then why don't I see him with you?"
"He is here--" When Ravn turned to point at Seraphiel's cell, he realized that he isn't even here. "What?"
"Wait, what?" Keonhee's eyes widened when he realized Seraphiel isn't with them. "Where did he go?"
"San's not here too." Seoho looked around the room.
"I knew it!" Leedo's voice boomed out from his cell. He clenched his fists in anger. "He set us up!"
"W-what do you mean?" Gabrielle asked, confusion blurring her mind.
"He really set us up. He purposely led us to that hidden path to get cornered by his king." He scoffed. "What are we even expecting? He's the king's favorite. What a great actor."
"But what about Seraphiel?"
"He must have got ridden of him knowing he's not needed for this damn thing they're planning to us. He must be handed to the king and who knows what they did to him."
Gabrielle's hand made a way to her mouth in disbelief. Hwanwoong rested his head on the wall, his teeth clenched.
"No." She whispered through her mouth.
"I should have killed that bastard the moment he offered us to be killed back then." Ravn clenched his fists in frustration.
"What are we going to do now?" Keonhee asked, his voice sounding so small as he curled up in the corner of his cell.
"I don't even know anymore." Gabrielle mumbled to herself as she hugged her knees. She doesn't even know what to think about. She couldn't feel anything. Even the thought of Seraphiel gone just hangs in her mind, the thought still forcing itself to sink in that she has lost him.
Is this really it? Have I failed this time? For real?
In the midst of the dead silence, Mingi stirred and groaned. The sound of him made everyone's attention turn to him.
"Mingi!" Hwanwoong moved closer as their cells were right beside each other. The others just watched him wake up. Questions were stuck on their throat, but they knew better to not ask him in chorus.
Mingi who was surprised at the familiar voice, still tried to adjust his eyes even though it's dim in the room. His eyes were blurry and sticky. He rubbed his eyes and got up from laying down. "Hwanwoong?"
"It's me, Mingi. Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine, I guess." He mumbled as he tried to stop himself from wincing in pain. "Why are you here-- why are you all here--Gabrielle?"
"We got our backs stabbed by a knife." Leedo shrugged his shoulders, as if he doesn't care anymore.
"By who?"
"That ghoul who took you."
"San?"
"Yes, that great actor."
Mingi's eyebrows furrowed. "What? He told me he's on our side and that he'll help us."
"That's what he told us too. Seems like we forgot he's a ghoul." Ravn said nonchalantly.
Mingi's lips parted as he let what they said sink in. He began to regret talking to San. He felt like a fool.
"So where is he now?" He asked, a small glint of anger shining through his eyes. "I need to get my hands on him and finally end his life."
"If I knew, I would have killed him then before you do." Ravn rolled his eyes. "That bastard is probably back on the king's lap."
Silence engulfed them once again and it was then they heard the quiet sobs from Gabrielle who was curled up into a ball in the corner of her cell. She hid her face with her forearms that were resting on her knees, as if it'll hide the fact that she's crying.
"Elle," Ravn tried to move closer but even if he has reached the iron bars in between them, he still couldn't reach her.
"I'm sorry, everyone." She whispered but the silence just made her voice audible to everyone. "I failed to protect you all and lost Seraphiel."
She glanced at the wound on Xion's chest and closed her eyes. "I've never imagined this. Was I too relaxed and carefree?"
"You've tried your best to protect us, Gabrielle." Seoho said. "You've given everything for us, yet we couldn't even do the same for you. We're sorry."
"Guys, don't talk like that. There's still hope." Keonhee told them.
"Is there really even some hope left?" Gabrielle answered as she hugged herself more. She gave up.
Everyone just looked at her with sorrow. Even their strongest guardian angel already said there's no hope. Their light has admitted to the darkness coming for them. How will they even have high hopes when the brightest of them gave up?
Hwanwoong sighed and pulled his hair. "Leedo, I was the one who ate your yoghurt. Me and Xion."
"What!?" Leedo exclaimed as soon as he heard Hwanwoong's confession.
"Told you it wasn't me." Ravn said.
"Whatever." Leedo rolled his eyes. "I was also the one who restarted your game."
"No way." Hwanwoong scoffed. "I only took your yoghurt, how could you restart my game!?"
"You were too lazy to pick up your stuffs back then. I had to teach you a lesson."
"Mine's not much but I used to feel annoyed with Ravn. But not anymore." Keonhee confessed.
"What? Why?" Ravn asked.
"The reason is not important anymore. I don't feel that way anymore." He slightly glanced at Gabrielle, a small smile spreading in his lips. "You're one of the people I look up to already, Ravn."
Seoho cleared his throat. "Keonhee, I was the one who hung that white blanket near your window. I felt guilty that you slipped. But at least you didn't die right?"
Keonhee looked at Seoho with shock as he remembered that night when he thought he saw a ghost and slipped on the floor. He sighed. "I didn't die back then but now I think I'm going to die."
"We're not dying though." Hwanwoong said. "They'd make us the pillars of our curse right?"
"Well, yes. But still, we don't know what will become of us after the eclipse. Like," Keonhee trailed off. "Will we still recognize each other? We don't know that, but I'm glad we could spend our last moments together."
Everyone fell silent, truly not knowing what will happen to them after this.
"So, Ravn. You're not going to confess?"
"I have nothing to confess."
"You're no fun." Everyone whined at him.
Ravn rolled his eyes. "Okay," He glanced at Keonhee. "I used to feel annoyed with Keonhee, but not anymore too."
Keonhee's lips parted in disbelief. "What did I even do to you?"
"Just like what you said, the reason is not important anymore as well." He shrugged his shoulders.
The taller scoffed. "Okay. Touché."
"Good thing I've got nothing to confess." Mingi chuckled deeply as he laid his back on the wall.
"Oh really?" Seoho shot him a look and Mingi shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, really."
Hwanwoong smirked and crossed his arms. "Maybe you forgot that I saw you screaming so loud when you thought you saw a ghost at the backyard where in fact, those were just newly washed blankets."
Mingi's eyes widened at Hwanwoong who just exposed him.
"Really!? He did!?" Keonhee exclaimed as everyone let out a laugh. "I didn't know this tough looking CEO is actually a scaredy cat."
"I'm not." Mingi whined but they just kept on teasing him.
The teasing went on until they heard someone groan at the corner of the room. Gabrielle, being the nearest to the sound, looked at her side and saw Xion stir.
"Xion." She said and sat straight. The guys also looked at Xion with worry.
"What's this?" Xion touched his chest and watched the small taint of blood in his shaky hand. "What happened?"
"The king did that." Leedo said which made Xion froze at the familiar sound.
"Leedo?" He tried to sit up but felt his body ache, forcing him to lay back down. This time, he slowly sat up. He saw everyone looking at him with worry. Where everyone has a look of worry, his face screamed with shock. "Why are you all here?"
"We came to visit you." Ravn shrugged his shoulders.
"Huh?"
"Kidding." He said before he began to tell him everything. As the story goes on, Xion looked even more hopeless.
"So is this really the end?" He sadly said. He felt Gabrielle hold his hand and gave it a squeeze.
"I just want to tell you all that I'm happy to meet you even though this is how it'll end. I hope that, if you've all changed, you won't forget me even if that's impossible."
"What are you talking about, Gabrielle?" The little boy's eyebrows met in confusion like a lost kid.
"I'll have my head displayed in the palace after you all become the pillars of your sin. I hope that even if you'll completely change, you will still remember me when you look at my head."
"Don't say that, Elle. That won't happen." Ravn shook his head, slightly getting annoyed at where this conversation is going.
"Do you think I'd be standing beside you all after the ceremony?" He glanced at them before looking at Ravn again. "Maybe. But I'm not alive anymore."
"Shut up!" Ravn started to yell. "We don't know what will happen--"
"Well, I do now! The world is going to end. You're all still going to live but not as humans anymore. And me, well at least I won't see any of it happen. I won't see the people I used to love turn into someone I don't know anymore."
Everyone fell silent as despair slowly consumed them again. Ravn gripped on the iron bars and closed his eyes tightly as he let out a sigh.
Or maybe a controlled sob.
Gabrielle bit her lips and moved towards Ravn. She held his face through the bars and felt his cheeks damp with tears. "Please live well. All of you."
"How could I live well if you're not here anymore?" Ravn whispered, he refused to look at Gabrielle.
"Live for me at least." She felt her eyes sting.
"I can't." Ravn shook his head. "I can't lose you, Elle. We can't lose you."
Gabrielle felt her own tears fall down as she wiped away Ravn's tears. "Look at me."
Ravn didn't listen to her and kept silent as his shoulders moved from silencing his sobs. Hwanwoong looked at the ceiling, as if he's trying to keep his tears stay in his eyes. Xion hugged his knees together while Keonhee wipes his tears with his sleeve. Mingi and Seoho closed their teary eyes as they listen to them. Leedo rested his head on the wall as he let his tears flow freely down his cheeks, his fists clenching at his sides.
"Look at me, Ravn." Gabrielle said firmly. Ravn sniffed and lifted his head to meet Gabrielle's sad eyes. Looking at her felt more painful. He felt his heart being clenched when she smiled at him. "I hope that the next time we'll meet again will be flowery. I love you so much."
"I..." Ravn sobbed, feeling his breath shortened. He just feels so suffocated. He held onto Gabrielle's hands that were on his cheeks. "I-I love--"
Before Ravn could even continue what he said, the door slammed open and soon guards were coming inside. They both went to the cells of the newly caught mortals and opened it.
"T-They're here." Mingi said and slowly crawled towards Hwanwoong who just looks confused.
"What are you doing!?" Seoho yelled as he backed away from the guard who entered his cell. The boys struggled from the guard's hold, yelling and cursing at them.
"No." Gabrielle whispered as her heart started to beat faster.
"What is this?" Ravn asked.
"The procedure..." She panicked and held onto Ravn when she saw the guard start to pull him away. "Please, don't."
"No! Let me go!" Ravn started to thrash around, his screams mixing with the other four.
Gabrielle couldn't reach for Ravn anymore. She walked to the front of her cell and hopelessly watched them being dragged out of their cell.
"Where are you taking us!? Put me down!" Hwanwoong yelled, his feet dangling when the guard carried him effortlessly.
"Touch me and I'll kill you!" Leedo started to fight with the guard but without even inflicting any damage, he was knocked out. The guard cursed as he lifted Leedo. "Why did it have to me to handle the cursed man of wrath?"
Keonhee held onto the iron bars while being pulled until his hands were painfully hit that he screamed as he let go of it and felt his hands shake. Its bones could've been broken if possible. He was dragged by the feet until the guard lifted him up.
"Gabrielle, they're taking them." Xion started crying. "What do we do?"
Gabrielle kicked on the iron bars and felt the pain shot up to her shin. She fell on the ground hopelessly and let out a depressing sigh. "Why..."
"The king must be so excited that he decided to do the procedure with them all." The guard chuckled. "Ah, I'm excited for this."
"Yeah, I can't wait for the eclipse."
"Don't worry, it's just around the corner."
When the door closed, Gabrielle, Mingi, and Xion were left once again in the room. Xion's cries were audible and Mingi just closed his eyes in frustration. Gabrielle leaned her head on the iron bars as she once again felt another slap of failure on her face.
This has been going around for days and days. The days were painfully slow and agonizing to them but to the king and the beings of the underworld, it was a festive preparation.
Each day that came felt like another level added to their hopelessness. They'd wish to feel this instead of ending it, because knowing that those days of hopelessness will finally end just means it's time.
Gabrielle looked at the lines being tallied on the wall. When she added another line, she closed her eyes in despair.
The day has finally come.