Warning for gore and vomit in the second half of the chapter. Also references to rape.

As a general warning, the orc area is full of death and gore and rape victims turned into property. I will continue putting warnings in the next chapters, but beware until it's over.

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Rushing low across the grassy fields on the backs of their gryphons, the first warm rays of sun broke through the fog as if to light their path. The lands were still through the mist. No goblins clambering through the dirt, and no orcs springing out in a sudden ambush. It was deceptive, but all the more chilling when Seonghwa remembered the spread of death below the surface.

Once they neared the closest fort, San swung himself in a graceful loop, powerful wings catching the sun before he angled them to sail across the spiked wooden walls of the rampart. No voices hollered warnings. No spears came flying. Seonghwa held his breath, but San circled around the area, scouring it for foes and got no response. When he dipped to land, the gryphons rushed after him, breaching the terrain. 

The wooden pathways and benches were ghostily vacant. Nothing moved below, but there were no bodies, either. During their sleep, the orcs warmed themselves below the earth, cosying up to their prisoners. Only the gaping entrance to their tunnel greeted the group.

The traces of a prior feast lingered. Shed clothing, mugs tipped over and the stench of alcohol. When San landed, blade in hand, no one rushed in to attack him. 

San peered into the massive hole in the earth where the jar of gas lay uncorked. It had no specific scent, nothing to alarm them with. Only Morana scrunched her nose when the gryphons landed, ticklish but not endangered by it. 

With dull thuds, the gryphons hopped onto the ground. Seonghwa slid off, senses strained in all directions, but no one hid among the crudely built structures and monuments. Only the bones of meals and trophies alike greeted them. 

"Eerie. It can mean only one thing if it's so quiet here," Yunho commented as they neared the tunnel. Silence echoed back from it. It was warm in there, the stench of orc nauseating, but nothing rustled. 

If they had been asleep, they already would have smelled the elves. But nothing stirred.

Jongho was staring at some grotesque statue built of skin and bones, cloth and spiked weapons. The orcs gathered the remnants of their enemies as their spoils of battle. The ghastly monuments loomed at their entrances and around their eating areas, serving their macabre purpose.

Seonghwa was quick to turn away, not spending too much time examining the pointed pieces of flesh that were strung up in a necklace for the scariest of scarecrows. He stepped to San's side, peering down into the darkness.

"Jongho, what do you feel?" He asked over his shoulder and the golem's colours flickered and dimmed as he concentrated on the earth below his feet. Yeosang also stretched out his senses.

"People... The song of the elves. Heavy bodies on the earth, not just the light elves. I don't feel them breathing," Jongho reflected, and Seonghwa's breath hitched in his throat as he imagined the mass grave they were about to wander into. Death scared him. It was ruthless and cold and frightening. This time, it hadn't been violent, but that didn't mean those lives had any less worth.

"Are there elves alive?" Morana asked, and Jongho nodded. His eyes swirled green and white as he felt himself through the ground, picking up on their heritage. 

"Yes... Deep in the earth. Nervous feet scrambling about. Some still, but breathing. They don't dare to flee. Do they think it's a trap?"

It wasn't unlikely. The orcs played their games with the elves all day long, punishing any misbehaviour in the most cruel ways. Without a guiding hand, the elves might not dare escape.

"Let's go in and help them out," Seonghwa suggested, and everyone was with him. Reinforcements came from behind, gryphon-borns and seraphim to support their exits, and they would guard the tunnels until Seonghwa's family emerged back out.

The cool earth engulfed them. San marched ahead with his sword drawn, every step deliberate. Seonghwa cradled one of Aodhán's glowing spheres and his spear, following into the winding tunnels that took them deeper and deeper.

"Reminds me of another time," Yeosang muttered as the noise and coldness of the morning stayed behind. They found the first few orcs, sunken to the ground in graceless heaps. Hongjoong tested their breathing both physically and with magic, but he found nothing. The gas left no traces, no blood. Just unmoving bodies, as if asleep. Their heat and scent lingered, taking Seonghwa's breath away with the stench of musk and urine and sweat. 

He was glad once the tunnel opened into an open cave. But as quick as his relief had come, it died. 

The stench of orc overpowered the scent of the elves, or perhaps they were just so drowned in it. At first, Seonghwa didn't realise what he was looking at. The mountain of flesh sported various colours and sizes, but something looked distinctively wrong about it all.

When he realised, Seonghwa's insides came to a stuttering halt, all song falling quiet.

"Oh, no," Yunho also whispered, and the others stood in shock. 

Towards the corner of the cave and well into view, since it piled as high as Mingi's body height, was a pile of dead elves. Their bodies were flung on top of each other, not killed by the gas but by the bruises on their neck and hips. Some had indented rib cages or faces, used as training dummies for violence in their final moments or even after.

But much worse was how savagely their bodies had been forced open. Many were lacking legs, some even their arms, but those who were fully intact still had teeth knocked out or had been spread obscenely at the bottom to fit the orcs. The sheer brutality displayed on those dozens of corpses never ended as Seonghwa spotted broken fingers, marks of rope and bloodied scalps, where the elves strained against the grip on their hair. 

Suddenly, the bones upstairs at the fireplace looked so familiar and delicate in Seonghwa's mind. They found the pile of rejects, those who either lost their purpose or had fought to the death and were now determined a meal.

Seonghwa was overwhelmed by the sight even when he knew what to expect. He had to look away against the tears burning in his eyes, trying to think of something to soothe his family with so they could move on, but only fear and rage echoed in his mind.

The sound of sudden gagging startled him enough to distract from the painful clenching of his abdomen. And it got worse when he realised it was the voice of his steadfast sorcerer.

Seonghwa twirled around with panic rising hard and cold in his chest, gripping at his insides like a vise. Hongjoong was kneeling on the ground, retching out the bile in his throat and weak fingers gripped marks into the earth. Seeing him collapse shook everyone out of their trance.

"What's wrong?!" Wooyoung hollered immediately, wings flaring as he expected an ambush, but Hongjoong breathlessly shook his head. His eyes were watering and his face looked pale when Seonghwa rushed to his side to cradle it with careful fingers.

"S-Sorry. Not my most elegant moment," Hongjoong pressed out and Yeosang also placed a concerned hand on his back. He wasn't injured, but his magic flickered and coiled into itself, as if retreating from its surroundings. Did he react to the gas?

"Out with it, mage. You're shaking," San snapped, keeping an eye out for any threats, but the depressing cave lay silent before them. 

Seonghwa realised the moment he glanced back at those pale bodies, at their bruised and ravaged forms. A chill ran down his spine before he hastily spread out his cloak, blocking Hongjoong's view. Shrouded in darkness, the mage gasped in a shuddering breath. He was shaking his head, trying to regain his senses. Another gag came, and he spat it onto the floor, exhausted. 

"Oh, Hongjoong..." Seonghwa whispered, agonised by the sight. Hongjoong trembled, suddenly so small and vulnerable. He shouldn't have come in here.

"You should have told us. We could have taken another mage while you stayed outside," Seonghwa whispered, his own pain quickly forgotten as he felt with his husband. 

But Hongjoong stubbornly shook his head, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. The grit returned to his eyes as he breathed a shuddering breath. Though still shaky, the bite of his voice was determined.

"Hokum. I won't let some brute influence my sense of self-worth. I just need a moment." Exhausted, he leaned into Seonghwa's shoulder and the elf caressed his back, pouring all the gentleness into him that Hongjoong would need. Yunho also crouched by his side, feeding the mage some water, and his smile was more of a grimace.

Morana stood watch, spooked by suddenly seeing him go down. The Hongjoong she knew would never show weakness in front of others. 

"What's wrong with him?" She asked nervously since she couldn't detect any threat, but they could never be so sure if the gas might not kill some of them slowly. 

Yeosang smoothly distracted her.

"It's nothing, Morana. Are you fine with this? It's not too brutal for you?" He tugged the girl to the side for a breather, making sure she was stable to keep going. It would only get worse from here on.

But the girl nodded confidently while Seonghwa embraced Hongjoong, assuring him he was safe and no one would hurt him.

"It saddens me... My soul cries with them. But my rage burns all the hotter. I want to help," the girl muttered. Jongho nodded with a crunch.

"I feel the same." Crystals blazing a chilly blue, he mourned the lost elves with them.

After a few moments, Hongjoong breathed out a long sigh. He straightened in Seonghwa's arms and, though his eyes were still haunted, his body curling into itself defensively, he managed to shake off the terror haunting him. When he moved out of Seonghwa's embrace, Seonghwa gladly let him go. Hongjoong rolled his shoulders and snatched the water skin out of Yunho's hands once more to take a long gulp. He spat out the bitter taste on his tongue before he handed it back.

"Can you go on?" Seonghwa checked when Hongjoong made to stand up and Seonghwa supported him when he staggered.

"Damn it... Yeah, I can. Sorry," the mage gritted, but Seonghwa's hands caressed down his arms with all the patience.

"Don't apologise. We are here. You're fine, and I won't let anyone touch you," the elf vowed, and Hongjoong got out a weak laugh. Finally, he stood straight again, dusting off his hands and brushing back messy hair. His magic returned, shadowy hands cleaning up his appearance and straightening his clothes. A moment later, he sparkled as always, and lifted his chin high. 

"Yes. Yes, you're right. Let's go," he called and Seonghwa accepted his strength.

He hadn't been there for the worst of Hongjoong's recovery period. The mage was strong, using his work as a distraction and not submitting to fear. But in suppressing those memories and refusing to address them, he created a sanctuary easily shattered now. Healing came in different forms, and he inevitably relapsed.

Just like Seonghwa, Hongjoong hadn't shied away from real, loving intimacy since they reunited. Cherished the consent between his lovers and healed from it.

But the past came back to haunt him.

"Hey, if you need to talk or want me to block your view..." Yunho began, most versed of them all about how Hongjoong dealt with the events of that day. Quick as he healed, Yongguk scarred all of their minds permanently back then.

But Hongjoong waved him off like a bothersome fly. He was back to his effortless grace, glimpsing among them with the fire of his magic blazing cold in his eyes. Ready to see this through to the end.

"No, I'll fight this weakness. You can count on me," he promised them, and Seonghwa let his hands sink to smile at him instead.

"You are strong," he praised, and Hongjoong took it with a sly grin.

"I must watch out for you, knowing you will mourn every single one of these poor bastards in here. My Damiana is sweet like that." He lifted a hand to caress it over Seonghwa's cheek, a silent thanks. When he turned on his heel, he was ready to go on.

They didn't address it anymore. Hongjoong decided to be strong, so they would support his wish. 

Bravely, they stepped back into the cave, pushing deeper into the prison of misery below the earth.