For so many weeks, they have finally stepped out of the cells that suffocated them. It may feel less restrained to them, but knowing that they're free from those bars means another proof of their doom. Not only them but for the world.
Nothing that happens in the underworld is good for them.
Today was the only day when the boys are fully conscious since for the past days, they've been going through the procedure nonstop. It almost made Gabrielle crazy to be with them who aren't even moving or talking because most of the time they're unconscious.
Yet, even if they are all finally conscious, they couldn't even talk. Only their eyes spoke a million words.
Gabrielle was being dragged out of the room. They soon reached a wide area that was illuminated by the 'sunlight' perhaps. At the sides were guards and underworld beings in cloaks without their faces shown. In front was a big platform with seven poles in line and a royal seat, probably for the king. A few meters in front of the platform lies a single pole.
"Go tie them up. The time is running." Seonghwa ordered the guards, not sparing a glance on the eight of them.
Obviously, the seven boys were tied to the seven poles on the platform. They all tried to free their hands but only the banging of metal to metal can be heard.
On the other hand, Gabrielle was dragged towards the middle, there at the single pole in front of the platform.
They sat on the ground helplessly, giving up from pulling on the restraints behind their back as it started to make their wrists swollen.
The eight of them just looked at each other.
"Why is Gabrielle at the center? Are they going to do something to her?" Xion asked, his eyebrows meeting in worry and nervousness.
"I don't know, but something feels bad about this set up." Seoho said. "And I don't like it."
"Nothing's going to happen, okay? Let's not think negatively." Ravn tried to sound positive but deep inside he was honestly nervous. He doesn't feel good about this too. He looked at Gabrielle who just gave him a reassuring smile, making him want to jump out from his restraints and free her.
"I can't even see San. Where is he?" Keonhee turned his head around to find San, as if he could get to him and kill him on the spot in this state.
"Probably ashamed to show his face to us and Gabrielle." Leedo grumbled, still annoyed at San.
"But shouldn't he stand proud? He should be looking at us with a smirk already."
"That bastard is unpredictable. I won't care if he shows up or not. I'll probably kill him after this ceremony."
"So you've accepted our fate already?" Keonhee looked at Leedo with an emotionally-drained face.
"Like I have a choice." He rested his head on the pole and pursed his lips.
The chatting of the hooded beings suddenly stopped when they heard the footsteps on the platform. They sat straight, making the boys curious of who was walking from behind them. The turned their heads and saw the king who looked down on them with a triumphic smirk on his face. His gaze lingers on them for a while before looking at Gabrielle.
His smirk widened.
"Ah, what a wonderful day it is today." The king sighed happily as he stood in front of the crowd, his back facing his throne. "The day has come for my victory, and the beginning of your end."
He said the last line with emphasis as he looked at Gabrielle, before he looks at the crowd. "My friends, eclipse has came and that means, it's time for us to witness the ceremony of our future pillars of the sins. Our future kings under me, the most powerful."
"Most powerful, my ass." Hwanwoong muttered under his breath.
"That's what we are doing today but before that, I also want to commemorate our dear visitor today." He announced loudly.
"For those who do not know this purely looking lady in front of you, that is Gabrielle. The damn angel who just slayed our kind like gameplay. The damn angel who almost made this ceremony impossible, but thankfully, my best servants were very useful and impressive."
Gabrielle looked at the king with her eyebrow raised, acting like she's unbothered by him. The little act annoyed the king so he sneered at her.
"For all the things she has done for years, I've been wanting to kill her on the spot and have her head hung in the palace for everyone to see. However, I just realized that simply ending her life won't pay everything that easily. That is why, I brought her here to give her the vengeance my beings deserved."
His stare at Gabrielle darkened. "You shall suffer here and watch your friends end up on my side. You shall watch everything you've worked for crumble down into ashes. You shall feel the sweetness of karma."
"W-what is he talking about? Suffer?" Keonhee frantically asked no one in particular, his head darting from the king and to Gabrielle.
The king glanced at the side and waved at two guards to come to the center.
Gabrielle averted her eyes from the king and looked at the guards who were walking towards her. The dark look on their faces sent shivers down her spine but she glared at them. "What do you think you're--"
Her question was immediately cut off when she felt his fist collide with her cheek, her head whipping harshly to the side. Her jaw felt numb. Before she could even process their next move, she felt a kick to her stomach. She felt the air sucked out from her as she leaned down on the ground, coughing out blood while her eyes started to brim with tears.
Echoes of hitting and her sounds pain reverberated through the place. And the sight of what they're seeing in front horrified the boys.
"No!" Ravn screamed and tried to pulled his wrists from the chains, completely ignoring the pain. "Stop!"
"Damn it!" Leedo cursed and glanced at the king. "Are you crazy!? You're going to kill her! Stop them, you bastard!"
The king laughed. "I'm not going to kill her, mortal. That's not happening now, maybe later."
"No, no, no." Xion began to cry. He closed his eyes, frustrated that he couldn't cover his ears from hearing Gabrielle's sound of pain. Mingi did the same, he couldn't look at her. He'd rather be tortured like before instead of her.
"Look at her, she doesn't look bad at all. Her scars and bruises are even fading, stop worrying." The king waved his hand at them.
"Her scars may be fading but that doesn't mean she can't feel any pain!" Seoho glared at the king, wincing at every sound he hears from below.
"Oh, come on! Stop overreacting! She won't die because of that! I'm even holding back as of the moment! Wait 'til I'll proceed in using even more tools. Maybe I'll go with burning? Impaling? She even deserves more than those."
The boys looked terrified upon hearing the king's idea. He can't be real with it. The blood on the ground underneath her was too much and looking at how pale Gabrielle has become got them panicking. Even if the guards are using ordinary tools on her, they were going overboard, and upon knowing there's even more to what the king is planning just makes everything worse.
"What!? Is this all you've got!?" Gabrielle screamed at the king, earning another hit from the back. "Your tactics are too boring! You're rogues are better than this!"
Ravn bit his lips as he prayed for her to stop taunting the king. She can't be furious now.
"Dude, please." Hwanwoong whined in despair as he shook his head.
The moment the king raised his hand made the boys' heart drop. That was it. The trigger has been pulled.
When two new guards were approaching Gabrielle, a servant has walked towards the king. He bowed down first before whispering into his ear. "Your highness, the eclipse is about to happen."
This alerted the king so he motioned for the guards to stop what they're doing, making the boys sigh heavily in relief. Gabrielle slumped onto the ground, her breathings heavy. Her scars and bruises have faded but the amount of blood pooling underneath her and tainting her white dress just shows how much she has been through.
Three of the guards left, and the one who didn't leave stayed with Gabrielle. He pulled her hair, forcing her to look at the platform in front of her with hooded eyes. Her chest was rising up so fast as she tries to catch her breath.
As much as it pained the boys to see her like this, they are relieved that the king didn't make his second idea come to life. However, even though it stopped him, it just meant that their end is coming as well.
Nothing good really happens to them here.
An old lady, probably a witch, walked in the middle of the platform. She wore a maroon cloak with a lot of necklaces on.
"Today marks a remarkable day for the underworld. For centuries, the seven pillars of the seven sins are finally gathered for us. They shall be our kings as well but before that, blood must be shed."
The boys started to get nervous through the restraints and their fear started to rise even more when the witch began chanting loudly in an unknown language.
"What the hell is she talking about?" Mingi ranted out.
The witch's voice was slowly increasing in intensity, her voice getting louder, and her body language getting shakier. To add the tension, the beings at each side started chanting in low voices as well. The sunlight was getting darker and darker as the moon was slowly covering the sun, dimming the whole place.
"Dude, this is creeping me out." Hwanwoong looked at the cloaked beings nervously.
The voices went faster and when the witch screamed, everything fell silent.
"Is she done?" Xion asked, trying his best not to look at the witch.
An apprentice gave the witch a strangely looking dagger and a bowl, while she was left with six other stacked bowls. The witch started to approached Keonhee who was on the far left side.
"First, I shall be taking the blood on your birthmark and you shall drink it with the formula I have made only for you seven."
The boys' ears shot up upon finally hearing the witch speaking in their language.
"B-Blood?" Seoho's eyes widened. "W-we're drinking blood?"
"Dude, that's gross! No way!" Mingi said in disgust.
Horror filled their eyes, especially Keonhee who was said to be the first one. "There's no way I'm letting you cut me--"
Keonhee instantly fell silent when the witch slapped him hard across the face. "You shall not speak in this very moment, mortal."
She ripped the top part of Keonhee's ruined cloak, exposing his birthmark. His eyes widened when he finally saw the dagger up close. "Please, don't--"
"I said, silence!" Another slap went to Keonhee's cheek. He zipped his mouth as tears started to flow down his cheeks.
The witch grazed the dagger onto Keonhee's birthmark in circular motions, his breathing clearly visible as his chest is rising fast either from his cries and fear. He closed his eyes tightly instead and prepared himself for the pain.
The witch stopped in the middle of his birthmark. Keonhee whimpered as he braced for the penetration of the dagger but suddenly, he couldn't feel the sharp dagger anymore and instead, he heard a loud thump in front of him.
Keonhee opened his eyes to find the witch laying on the ground with an arrow to her head. Everyone looked at the witch with confusion and that's when Keonhee's eyes widened when he saw the witch's head slowly burn into ashes just like the snake that he saw at his condo, when Gabrielle killed it. It slowly spread from her head, down to her neck and then her body.
The king stood up in annoyance. "What is happening? Why are we delaying--"
Before the king could rant up his anger, another arrow flew toward the center of the place. It hit the guard that was gripping on Gabrielle's hair. The guard fell and started to wither and deteriorate. Gabrielle glanced at the guard and recognized what makes these beings die like this.
She looked at the top corner of the place and saw San holding a bow with a bunch of arrows behind him. He looked at her with a mixed feeling of relief and worry, while Gabrielle looked so confused to see him.
Behind him, Seraphiel showed up with a determined look. "Attack!"
His voice boomed throughout the place and when everyone turned to him, hundreds of angels started to jump out from the dark corners of the place.