"Beautiful, isn't it?"

A chilling silence takes over the room as the group of men stared in horror at the stone beast.

"Father, stop this" Hongjoong's voice cuts through the silence. "Please," He pleaded as he watches Jaejoong's gaze shift to his. He didn't look pleased.

"I really am quite disappointed in you Hongjoong. Jongho's betrayal was expected but you? I thought you would be a worthy successor in the world I plan to create. I see now that I was wrong" Jaejoong looks at Hongjoong with a blank expression but the tiniest bit of contempt masked behind his gaze.

"No. I was wrong for blindly acting as your pawn for years. How do you not see that none of this is ok?" Hongjoong exclaims, lifting his arms in exasperation. "Hundreds of thousands of innocent people have died by your hands and millions more will follow if you awaken that monster. At what point do you say enough" Hongjoong tries to soften his voice. To come off as compassionate. That maybe, just maybe he could reach whatever part of his father's heart that was good and make him stop this madness.  "Awakening Dresrak will ensue chaos and can be catastrophic. You know this. So why risk it? For power? Control?"

A slow grin only grows on Jaejoong's lips then he laughs, a sinister glint in his eyes. "Y'know... you're alot like your mother. Yojin"

At the mention of his mother both Wooyoung and Hongjoong perks up. Wooyoung's eyes narrows dangerously and hus jaw clenches. He could still feel the cold metal of the hyuljo dagger underneath his shirt and strapped to his hips.

"She was one of the people I first told about my plans some couple years ago. And she said those exact words. Fast forward a few months and she's rotting in a coffin somewhere. Funny that"

"Where is she?" Wooyoung demands, hands tight fists by his side.

He sighs and walks towards what looked to be an alter of some kind in the middle of the room. His runs his finger along the edge of a large stone bowl on top of the pedestal. 4 candles placed on all 4 sides of the slab and flicking ever slightly whenever a breeze whooshes into the cave. "I'd be more than happy to reunite you with her" Was all Jaejoong says.

Wooyoung scowls and tries vamp speeding to him. "Wooyoung no!" Hongjoong calls out. But Wooyoung goes flying back before he could even get close, due to one of the witches along the wall flicking her wrist back.

At the same time, Yeonjun tries making a break for it. He vamp speeds towards the exit of the cave but barely makes it up the stairs before the loud cracking of his legs echoes around the catacomb and he's crying out in pain.

"Fuck!" He yells as he falls to the ground. The male witch, the one responsible for stopping him, goes and drags him back to Jaejoong by the collar.

"Raden, c'mon.. why the hell are you doing this?" Yeonjun asks with a grunt.

Raden, an older witch with the faintest of stubbles along his chin and short cropped brown hair, only glances down at Yeonjun with strong dark coffee eyes. "Why?" He almost sounded amused. "You betrayed us Yeonjun-"

"In my defense, I told you guys that I always look after myself before anything else. If you wanna help that maniac,-" He points to Jaejoong. "-bring about mayhem then be my guest. I want no part in this" He says the last part while looking at Jaejoong who only looks back with amusement.

Raden drags Yeonjun towards the altar and in a large circle engraved in the ground. The brunette witch looks to Jaejoong who only nods in confirmation. Soon Raden turns to leave, walking up the stairs and out of the crypt. "What else do you want from me Jaejoong?" Yeonjun says from he was squatted on the ground inside the circle, his legs nearly fully healed and his voice exasperated.

"Yeonjun, remind what are the ingredients to awaken Dresrak again" He picks up the small knife that was placed on the slab and plays with the hilt.

Yeonjun only looks at him in confusion and before he could say anything a shriek and angry voices cuts through the room. Just then Raden returns, dragging two people, both women. "Let me go!" One says. "What is this?! Where are we?!" The other yells. Both had their hands bound behind their backs.

It wasn't until the shorter female was brought into the light before Seonghwa's eyes furrows in shock and disbelief. "Y-yeji?" He calls out with a raspy voice.

Yeji snaps her head and was met with the warm grey eyes of her older brother. Her eyes too widens and tears immediately began beading at her eyes. "H-hyung.." Her dark brown hair was a messy, a few cuts on his forehead and cheek which left behind streaks of dried blood, dirt on her clothes. But other than that she seemed ok. Though Seonghwa was in complete dismay. What the hell is she doing here? He thought to himself.

The other girl, a vampire, who looked to be in a similar condition to Yeji looks around the room with frightened icy grey eyes. Her black pixie cut hair was shaggy and fell in her face. She stumbled at her own feet as the male witch drags her and Yeji along.

Raden roughly pushes the girls inside the circle engraved in the ground and they fell to the dirty cave floor. He squats and undoes the binds tying Yeji's wrist behind her back, revealing an angry red mark around her wrist.

"Yeji, what the hell are you doing here?!" Seonghwa tries stepping towards her.

"We were looking for you" Yeji rasps out. He could tell she was trying to stay fearless but he could also see the absolute panic in her eyes. "I was with Hyunjin and Luna but we got ambushed. Hyune got hurt really bad because he was trying to protect us. T-they- they k-killed Luna" Her bottom lip quivered and the tears she was desperately trying to hold back fell freely and wetting her cheeks. "H-hyung, Hyunjin is still out there. He's badly hurt and it's all my fault" She cries.

Raden moves on to undo the vampire's bindings. Seonghwa tries to rush to sister's side but a ring of fire rises around the circle keeping anyone from walking through.

"I'd stay back if I were you" One of the female witches steps forward, watching Seonghwa with an arch in her brow. He tries to control his breathing and bit inner cheek hard.

"What do you want with her?! She's got nothing to do with any of this?" He yells out to Jaejoong who seemed to busy preparing something with a different witch. He ignores Seonghwa.

Once Raden was done removing the vampire's bindings she immediately tries vampire speeding out of the cave but was stopped by an invisible wall that seemed to be just around the circle in the ground. She raises her arm and slams at the force field but it doesn't budge.

"Our sacrifices" Jaejoong calls out with a single clap of his hands. "Right, so now that everyone is here. Let the Awakening begin" He smiles mischievously. At the word 'sacrifices', Seonghwa's stomach sinks. No...

"Yunho, be a dear and come in the circle will you" Jaejoong instructs and the druid who is now standing weakly and leaning against Sehyoon, immediately stands up straight. It was as though he was under a hypnosis of some sort because all expressions fall from his face and he tries walking towards the circle surrounded by burning flames.

"Yunho, what are you doing?!" Sehyoon quickly tries pulling his arm back but Yunho pulls his arm away with force his face still blank. Eyes dull and void of emotion. When Sehyoon tries aggressively dragging his back that's when Yunho sends him flying against the serrated cave wall with a light emitting from his palms. He keeps walking, the fall at the circle split apart for him to walk past before it closes again.

"Jaejoong.." Yeonjun stands up straight now. "What the hell are you doing?" He says through gritted teeth and steps up to the man's face at the altar.

"Vampire, werewolve, druid... and witch" Jaejoong says with amusement. "Surely you're smart enough to have put it together by now"

Yeonjun's breath comes out jagged and and his nostrils flares. "You wanna use me for you creepy sacrifice? After everything I've done for you?"

"Yes, Yeonjun. You've been a great help to me. Now your services are about to end. But I really did appreciate all the help" Yeonjun felt his eyes twitch at the mock in his voice. He tries to raises his hands in order to do a spell to the vampire but nothing happens.

"The witches have all magical energy within this circle blocked. You thought you could sabotage my spell and get away with it.."

"So what is this, some kind of punishment?" He was pissed but worked hard not to show it.

Jaejoong shakes his head, a smirk still playing on his lips. "No. The truth is whether or not you betrayed me you were always going to be part of the spell" He shrugs and walks past the seething male.

"Let her go" Seonghwa pleads, yelling out to Jaejoong. "Use me instead. You need a werewolf right? Use me instead of her" His eyes were glossed over and wet.

San stares with wide eyes. He'd never seen Seonghwa so... scared.

Jaejoong only scoffs at him as he make his way towards the vampire who was trying to scramble away from him. "That's just unnecessary. Plus-" He vamp speeds towards the vampire girl and grabs her aggressively by the wrist. "-I think I like the symmetry in 2 females and 2 males"

The pixie cut vampire tries fighting back despite how absolutely terrified she was. She swings at Jaejoong with her other arm. He smacks it away and grabs her by the throat and slams her to the ground hard, effectively knocking the wind out of her.

Then he shoves his entire hand into her chest, grabbing her heart and pulling it out within seconds. The girl's eyes widen and a breath leaves her throat as her skin slowly turns grey indicating she was dead.

Yeji, who was standing close to Seonghwa who was on the other side of the fire barrier cries out loud in horror and slaps her hands over her mouth at the gruesome scene. Tears blurred her vision and her hands were shaking.

Jaejoong stood up from over the girl's dead body, smirking to himself, while still holding her heart. He turns around and walked back to the alter in the middle of the circle, dropping the heart in the stone bowl. The witches around cave began chanting loudly in some language no one in the room could understand, as well as the witch stood at the alter.

After he drops the heart in the large bowl, he turns around and locks eyes with Yeji then he begins stalking towards her. The girl's shuffles back. "Hyung-" She pleads, turning to him with wet cheeks.

Seonghwa keeps his voice strong. "Yeji, shift. Shift and fight back" He instructs and she tries to shift but like Jaejoong had said. All magical energy was being blocked in the circle. She was defenseless.

She tries running but Jaejoong was quick to speed up to her, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her to the ground. Yeji screams out.

"Yeji!" Seonghwa cries out. "No no, please, please just her go" Finally tears falls from his eyes.

Yeji continues to fight against her capture even with the tears in her eyes blurring her vision. Scratching and pushing at him but Jaejoong easily over powered her. He snaps her arm, causing her cry out in pain and he pressed his knee against her throat, pinning her down. Then, like a slow movie, he shoves his still blood covered hand into the young werewolf's chest. And he rips out her heart.

"Yeji!!!" Seonghwa cries out with horror. And when Jaejoong stands up, pulling himself off her now limp body Seonghwa stares into the half lidded fear stricken eyes of his now dead sister. And he breaks down, his knees giving out, as he wails. One of his hand pressed over his mouth in order to muffle his own cries. He felt so helpless. All he could do was watch as his only sister was murdered right in front of him. His sweet baby sister. Innocent and wouldn't hurt a fly. She didn't deserve any of this.

He was angry and sad and heartbroken as he cried. He crawls and tries reaching for her body over the fire but San was quick to stop him from crossing the barrier. "Y-yeji.." He whispers over and over, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Jaejoong was already moving on to his next sacrifice. Yeonjun.

The heretic steps back, his nose flared. "Jaejoong don't do this" He warns. "I'll do anything ok? I'll do anything to make it up to you" He begs. "I fucked up, I shouldn't have betrayed you. But I can make it up"

"Hm", was all Jaejoong says when he steps up to Yeonjun, he caresses the boy's face with his bloodied thumb, leaving behind a streak of blood. He smiles in amusement as he watches the genuine fear in Yeonjun's eyes. "Y'know, I've known you for years and this might be the first time I've seen you this terrified" He brings his lips to Yeonjun's ear. "It's thrilling" He whispers darkly, his voice sending a chill down Yeonjun's spine.

"Yeonjun! Stop the spell" Wooyoung calls out to him with panic in his voice. "The spell linking you to San, stop it now!" He demands.

Yeonjun breathes shakily but doesn't even glance at Wooyoung. Though he does scoff as if holding back a laugh. "You really are a piece of shit, aren't you Wooyoung..." He mutters. Just then Jaejoong shoves his hands into his chest and Yeonjun gasps, blood rising to his mouth and causing him to choke in agony. Then Jaejoong pulls back his hand killing the heretic.

His eyes slowly slides close and be falls limply in Jaejoong arms. Wooyoung immediately snaps his head to San, and was relieved to see that he was still alive. San too breathes out a deep sigh of relief, a hand placed over his racing heart as he met Wooyoung's panicked gaze which then shifted to relief.

Jaejoong tosses Yeonjun's body to the side and lifts his heart like a trophy before walking back to the altar. After each sacrifice it appeared as though the chanting from the witches grew louder and louder. A wind picking up around the cave, blowing their clothing and hair around. The handful of drow soldiers murmur in unison as the strong wind blew at their clothing and hair.

Finally, it was Yunho's turn.

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Ngl y'all I've been pushing through a bit of writer's block hence why today's update was late asl 🤕 but we move lol 😫