this is the second part of chapter forty! make sure to read the prior one first!

Micah's plan had been simple.

Aim at the Purebloods' weaknesses, utilize Artemis's Hunters to injure them, and eventually, kill them himself. Seokjin's army of soldiers— Micah's new army, had been gifted with abilities that rivaled even the strongest of vampires. He was aiming to strike, planning to catch them off guard, so they wouldn't be able to fight back.

What he hadn't expected, was that the fight would come to him in his own home.

"You can't win this fight."

Micah sneered at Namjoon's words, letting the swords clash against each other. Micah had multiple advantages— one of them being that this fight, was happening in his home. The place he had built from the ground up was his territory— and the Purebloods could have nothing on him for trying to take over it.

"I have decided to grant you the luxury of fighting fair," Namjoon probed, aiming his sword once more. "I could have you finished right now."

"I have Artemis's blessing running through my blood," Micah spat, deflecting the blow. "Your brother's too. You will not be able to kill me, no matter how much you injure me."

Namjoon smirked. "That doesn't mean we can't make you suffer, Micah."

"I'd be careful if I were you," Micah answered, "Every single person here has weapons specifically meant to injure your kind. It would be a shame if your soulmate got overpowered by multiple of my men at once. He'll end up the same way my father ended the life of his wife and daughter. Just look at him struggling as we speak. He'll be dead soon."

Artemis had told him the key to defeating the Purebloods was to exploit their soulmates' weaknesses. Make them see what wasn't there. And what wasn't there was Jungkook getting mauled by his army. But it didn't matter, because what Micah had learned, was that the Purebloods, though powerful, were not invincible, and when it came to their soulmates, their weakest side came out.

The oldest tricks in the book, and the Purebloods would fall for it.

Every.

Single.

Time.

Taking the distraction, Micah unlatched the hidden dagger in his belt and swung, landing the weapon straight onto Namjoon's back. Namjoon hissed in pain, his eyes flashing red. In an instant, Micah was on his knees, feeling his blood begin to boil in his veins. His vision starts blurring, his eyes started to leak what he quickly found out to be blood. Namjoon's eyes, now flickering as he tried grabbing the dagger, cursed out loud as his hand began to burn at the touch of the dagger.

"I told you, Pureblood," Micah coughed blood. "Those weapons are meant to harm you. Why would Artemis give me anything but the best?"

In response, Namjoon gritted his teeth, and pulled the dagger out, burning his hand in the process. The dagger dipped in Pureblood blood, clanged to the ground, but the damage had already been done. Micah could see it in the way Namjoon forced himself up, and how his wound was spilling blood that he was slowly working his way toward meeting his demise.

"Namjoon!"

Micah could only laugh at Jungkook's scream, laced with the fear he had been craving to hear from them his entire lifetime. He turned to Jungkook, whose eyes were a mystifying electric, and with every walk, more and more of Micah's people fell. Micah glanced up at the Hunters hidden in the shadows, who were waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

One by one, they were falling into the trap.

The Hunters were a group loyal to Artemis, and they were now Micah's secret weapon. The Hunters were untraceable, unrecognizable, with no scent to alert anybody of their presence. They had been the missing equation piece in Micha's plans for destruction, but now that Artemis had so gracefully allowed them to be a part of this excursion, Micah had no doubts that they would come out victorious.

It didn't matter how many of his people died in the arms of the Purebloods. What mattered was that the Purebloods would lower their guard down enough to not notice the arrows piercing them straight to the Underworld.

"Where are your other family members?" Micah bit back a laugh.

"Where's the King?" Jimin replied smoothly, already standing by Namjoon's side. "It is not nice for you to be injuring those that gave you those abilities. Darling."

As if on cue, Taehyung appeared, his blue eyes almost like beacons of light. The air around Micah became thinner, and he struggled to breathe. Leaning next to him, Taehyung's hand lit with fire, and he brought it to Micah's skin. Micah forcibly bit back his screams, letting Taehyung burn his skin, forcing him to breathe the smell of rotting flesh. He had to make them believe they were close to victory. There were only four of them there— Namjoon, Jungkook, Jimin, and Taehyung.

That's all Micah needed.

Micah's eyes met Astraea's, and she grimaced as if Micah's presence was an unwanted one. With a slight nod, she readied her bow, her other counterparts following suit.

"You will have one chance to utilize my Hunters," Artemis had told him, as they were going over the plan. "One. Your goal is to injure as many of them as possible. I want them to have slow, painful deaths. Make them feel the pain I felt when their mother was taken from me."

Truthfully, Micah had no idea what Artemis had been talking about, but he could care less. What mattered was that they both had the same intention: to destroy the Purebloods.

Besides, painful death was a lot better than a merciful death.

"Careful," Micah wheezed, gasping at the pain coursing through him. "You should never lower your guard when facing a formidable opponent."

"Is the formidable opponent in the room with us?" Jimin mused, his expression dark and calculated. Micah said nothing.

"Brother, he means the Hunters that have been surrounding this castle to kill us."

Micah's expression lit with fury as Yoongi walked out of the shadows, eyes blazing violet. Alongside him, walked Astraea, a glare permanently etched onto her face.

"If you think about it, Astraea is more related to us, than she will ever be to you, Micah," Yoongi chuckled, turning to Astraea. "Cousin?"

Astraea scowled harder. "I am not related to you, Pureblood. My allegiance lies to Artemis— and Her alone."

Micah snapped, "By default, your allegiance is mine. You made your Hunters must do what you were told."

Astraea rolled her eyes, raising her arm. "If I must."

This was supposed to be Micah's peak of his entire lifetime.

The arrows rained down on all five of them— Namjoon, Yoongi, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin. The ones that hadn't been on the floor, fell, including Yoongi, who shielded himself with the cloak he bore. Astraea only looked at Micah, glaring, eyes empty, and when the last of the arrows had fallen, she lowered her arm. In an instant, the other Hunters stood by her, all wearing the same expression. The seconds ticked by, none of the Purebloods or their soulmates moving. Micah waited, one, two, then three, before beaming wildly.

He'd done it.

"Our work here is done," Astraea boomed. The Hunters' bodies started shimmering with light, their bodies starting to disappear into thin air. "Good luck, Micah Jung."

He'd defeated them.

"Thank you."

Astraea glared, disgusted. "You will get what is coming for you. May Tartarus show you the mercy you have given everyone in your centuries of existence."

An arrow flew through the air, embedding itself onto Micah's forehead. His eyes flew to where the arrow came from. His blood iced, and before he could ask Astraea anything, another arrow flew, one Micah barely managed to deflect. He gritted his teeth, pulling the arrow out, forehead now oozing blood. Astraea smirked, saying nothing more as Micah threw the bloodied arrow toward her. She disappeared, the arrow falling lamely on the floor.

There was a step, then two, before a hand gingerly picked up the arrow that had been shot at Micah seconds prior. Micah looked up, seeing a familiar figure.

"Seokjin, how dare you?" Micah nearly bellowed. "After everything I have done for you?"

"What have you done for me, Micah?" Seokjin asked gingerly, aiming the arrow at him again. "There is nothing more revealing than the truth. I have been blinded by you for far too long. The Hunters are gone. You have no one."

"You can't do anything," Micah laughed. "Look around you. They're all gone. Killed. All of them. I won."

"Did you?"

Yoongi finally stood up, brushing away the dust from his cloak. Any arrows that had managed to pierce his skin, he took off without flinching. His brothers followed suit, a slow grin spreading on their lips as they turned to look at Micah. Even Namjoon, who had been previously injured, showed no signs of struggle. The blade was gone, a small symbol on his thigh to serve as a reminder of what Micah had done.

Everything was starting to fall apart.

Micah had been sure that the arrows should have killed them all. Yet, here they were, healthier than ever.

Is that why Yoongi had not looked worried when walking next to Astraea? Did he somehow figure out a way to overcome that of the Gods? Artemis herself had given Micah everything he needed— she'd sworn that Micah would be able to kill the Purebloods, and finally be liberated. He had done everything he was supposed to do.

Why were they still alive?

Yoongi's eyes glowed violet. He cast his gaze upon Micah, who froze. He gasped for air, watching in horror as his skin started aging. The energy he had dissipated from his body, and the most he could do was look at them as his body aged— old, wrinkly, but not quite dead.

"For how useless you were, you gave me the one person that will be your demise," Yoongi said. "Your son. He gave you your youth back. I have taken it away now. Awakening his vampire side was your biggest mistake. Look at how beautifully bright his eyes shine."

Gold.

Hoseok's eyes burned gold.

Gold— a color befitting to his favorite child. When Hoseok entered the world, Micah knew that he would move anything and everything to ensure that his son would have a chance. His eyes shone gold like the sunlight on the day the boy had first been born. Gold, like the bright, beaming smile Hoseok would give to those he loved. Hoseok, the epitome of the sunlight, of hope, shining golden before Micah right now. This time, the gold came from the one thing Micah hated the most— bloodsuckers.

"He has a gift," Micah breathed. "He really is a Pureblood."

"Hoseok's ability rivals that of gods," Yoongi smirked, lacing his hand with Hoseok's. "A counterpart to mine. Where I can transform, he can alter. Those arrows were meant to kill us. The blade used on Namjoon should have killed him. Hoseok rendered their capabilities useless. He dissolved the arrows' lethal properties, making them nothing but mundane, useless objects."

Hoseok had the power of the Fates at the tip of his fingerprints.

Hoseok could make all of Micah's desires come true.

Maybe there was still hope.

"Hoseok, I'm sorry for everything I did," Micah croaked.

Out of all the things, Hoseok would have thought his father would say, he had never expected an apology.

"I know I did a lot of wrong to you, but I will spend the rest of my life making up for it," Micah continued, voice thick with sadness. "I only wanted what was best for you. You can fix this. Change everything. We could be one happy family— even your siblings. Your mother, me, everyone you love. You just have to help me. You could make a world without gods. Without vampires. Just us rulers and the world."

A world without gods

Without supernatural.

A world in which Hoseok could just exist. No soulmates, no deaths, a chance to restart completely.

Had Hoseok been the person he was years ago, the one who idolized and believed everything his father said, he would have done it. A chance to be with the family he should have had, a chance to have the father Hoseok had deserved— he would have leaped at the opportunity. It would have been his happily ever after.

No, not his.

His father's happily ever after.

His father wasn't even trying to make Hoseok's life better. Even in his apology, all Micah was focused on was getting rid of the Purebloods. To alter reality in Micah's favor not because Hoseok deserved a chance at a better life, but because it would achieve Micah's goal. At the end of it all, Micah still wanted the throne, and still wanted to control how the world would work, but not once, had he ever asked Hoseok what he had wanted.

Micah only cared about himself.

"You've never asked what I wanted," Hoseok said. "Not once. It's only about what you want. Even this. I don't want that reality, Father. It is a reality in which you would absolve yourself from everything you've done. I won't allow it."

Hoseok let Yoongi go. He knelt in front of his father, tilting his head up, watching for any sign of penance. All he was met with was anger, and as Hoseok's lips parted to speak, Micah spat in his face. Any trace of pity Hoseok might have had for his father disappeared, and he threw Micah's body to the ground, walking back to Yoongi.

"I'm choosing a reality in which you no longer exist," Hoseok announced, motioning for Jimin and Taehyung to grab Micah. "I choose a reality where my father's mistakes no longer haunt the innocents. I choose Yoongi and his family."

"I never knew you were so pathetic," Micah spat. "I can't believe I raised such a bloodsucking lover. You'd rather side with them than your own blood."

"We're his family now," Jimin hummed, smiling widely. "You never deserved to have a son like Hoseok anyhow. Everything will go back to the way it was, and you will be nothing more than ash."

Micah looked at Seokjin. "You're siding with them too? You traitor. Artemis will have your head."

Seokjin folded his arms. "I have protection. You, Micah, have no one."

After everything, Micah failed.

The Purebloods won.

He lost everything.

Micah watched as Yoongi and Hoseok kissed in front of him, recoiling at how happy his son looked to be with the Pureblood. His eyes scanned the room— the last room that he will ever know. He's back where he had started: at the bottom.

"We're at the end of our deal, Micah Jung," Yoongi said, smiling brazenly. "You have lost everything. No one can save you now. King Seokjin."

Seokjin smiled, nodding in acknowledgment. He drew his sword, Micah noticing how it slightly wobbled in Seokjin's hand. He drank Seokjin's appearance, skin paler than before, and he scoffed.

"You're becoming a vampire too," Micah said, clicking his tongue. "Like them."

Seokjin ignored Micah, raising the sword in the air. The light had permeated through the window, the golden rays hitting the sword at exact precision. Exactly the shade of Hoseok's eyes.

"Micah Jung, for your treason against the country you swore to protect, your family, your people, and crimes against humanity, you have been sentenced to death which is far more mercy than you deserve." Seokjin declared, expression stormy. "Do you have any last words?"

Micah spat at Seokjin's feet. Seokjin looked unphased, adjusting his stance to avoid the spit.

"So be it."

It was a strange sight, to see his father being executed in front of him, but Hoseok felt nothing as Seokjin's sword sliced neatly through Micah's head. Micah's head disconnected from his body and fell with a thump. Micah's eyes glazed over permanently in hatred, and the scowl on his face was the perfect rendition of what had accumulated over the course of Micah's long life. Taehyung flicked fire onto Micah's body, which immediately caught fire, and Yoongi made sure to contain the fire solely in the body.

"It felt a fitting ending," Yoogi explained, turning to Hoseok. "Your neck was sliced by Seokjin through your father's actions, and Jungkook's family had been burned to death by his father. This way he gets what he deserves. He will be punished in the afterlife. We don't need to do anything anymore. You're free, Hoseok. You and everyone else. We won."

They won.

Everything— all the pain, suffering, and violence his father had caused would hurt no one anymore. They were all free.

A soft gasp passed Seokjin's lips— too low for the average human to hear, but loud enough that Hoseok could hear it. He rushed to Seokjin's side, who was sweating. The puncture marks Hoseok had left Seokjin when he'd first drank from him looked as if they were burning, and he turned to Yoongi.

"When you drank from him, sunshine, you accidentally released venom in him," Yoongi explained. "It's starting to affect him now. If we don't stop it, he'll Turn. Yeonjun. How did it go with the Gods?"

"It went well," Yeonjun said, taking out a small vial. "While you were here, I spoke with Artemis, Selene, and my mother. They saw everything, and Artemis told me to give you this. She has accepted defeat and wants to liberate you from what She gave you through deceit. Drink this and you'll lose everything Artemis gave you. You'll be free from her."

Seokjin nodded, taking the vial and drinking it. As if by magic, the mark claiming him to Artemis disappeared, the white streaks in his hair coloring back to brown, and his eyes returning to the state of chocolate Hoseok had once fallen in love with. It hadn't done anything to take the venom out, but it had taken out Artemis's stake in Seokjin.

"You're the rightful heir to the throne," Hoseok said softly, smiling warmly at him. "Whatever you decided to do, Seokjin, we support you. You can become a vampire and rule as a King, or we can take the venom out of you, and put you as the rightful heir to the throne. You'll find someone, you'll have offspring, and then you'll grow old with them and die as a human."

"What's the catch?" Seokjin asked, looking at Hoseok expectantly. Yoongi sighed.

"If you choose to be human, you will forget the Jungs. You'll forget you were ever soulmates with Hoseok so that you can find someone to rule by your side who is wholly devoted to you. Your memories of him and the Jungs will be locked away. The pain, suffering, and hallucinations you went through will be no more." Yoongi said, placing his hand on Hoseok's shoulder. "You will never know pain and heartbreak. You'll be happy for the rest of your life."

Seokjin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You're going to alter reality?"

"We're going to fix the harm that was caused," Yoongi said, smiling at Hoseok. "You'll no longer be a Kim— you'll be a Gwan, and it will be as if none of this ever happened. If you say yes, the first thing you'll remember is that the way between the human and the vampires is over because we both agreed to a ceasefire. You will remember Hoseok as my soulmate only, and he will be present when we write and sign the new treaty. Together, we will bring Korea into a new era, where we all co-exist."

"And if I choose to be a vampire, then I'll remember everything?"

Namjoon nodded. "It's balance. If we were to change everything and you were a vampire, it would tip the scales. It could cause a disaster. You will still have your happy ending, you will just remember everything that happened to you and your connection with the Jungs. The choice is entirely up to you."

All Seokjin knew was that he couldn't imagine living life as a vampire. It was a species that he was born to kill. He massacred vampires, he took Artemis's gifts to exploit for his hatred, and he caused so much suffering to Hoseok, killed him, and lived with Hsoeok's hallucinations to cope with pain. Even though he had been told that the crown was his, it still didn't feel like it was, and something in Seokjin told him that the only way he would accept the crown is if he didn't remember who it first belonged to.

A life without heartache, pain, and suffering. An assured happy ever after.

It was far more than Seokjin deserved for everything he did.

"I don't want to be a vampire," Seokjin whispered. "I'm tired of having to be something other than human."

Jimin chuckled. "Humans do have it easier, Seokjin."

Taehyung helped lay Seokjin down comfortably in a bed, in a room apart from where Micah's body burned. The Purebloods had already positioned themselves around Seokjin, fangs outstretched to pull back the venom from Seokjin's body. Hoseok sat next to Seokjin, nodding at him reassuringly as the vampires drained him of venom. It didn't take long, and before long, Seokjin's skin flushed with life, the color returning to his skin and cheeks— heart beating the way that a human did.

"When you're ready, Seokjin, we'll start," Yoongi said. "It's time for our goodbyes."

Seokjin's hand reached for Hoseok's. Hoseok took the hand, letting Seokjin lace their fingers together one last time. Seokjin brought Hoseok's hand to his lips, kissing them gently.

"It's good to have you back, Hoseok," Seokjin smiled. "I'm glad to have met you, even if all I did was mess everything up."

Hoseok laughed, his eyes starting to well with tears. "You did what you thought would save me. I wasn't a damsel, Seokjin, but what matters is that you eventually listened and came to the right side."

"Still not forgiven?" Seokjin half-teased, his eyes watering too.

"Not a chance," Hoseok responded, lightheartedly. "I told you I wouldn't forgive you, but this is a step in the right direction. Live the life you should have had from the very start before my father came and messed everything up. We'll watch you from afar. I promise."

"You'll be taken care of, I know it," Seokjin chuckled, looking at Yoongi. "It's going to be strange not hating your existence."

Yoongi's nose wrinkled. "You're telling me. This one-sided rivalry was intense, for sure. One-sided because you never had a chance with Hoseok."

Seokjin rolled his eyes. "I get it, he's yours."

Yoongi beamed. "Good. As long as you know."

A ripple of laughter fell through the room.

"For what it's worth, I don't regret ever crossing paths with you, Jung Hoseok," Seokjin said, smiling at the Hoseok he'd loved for the last time. "I would do it all again."

"I know," Hoseok whispered, squeezing his hand slightly. "I know."

Hoseok hugged Seokjin, wrapping him in one last embrace. When he pulled away, he wiped the tears that had fallen down Seokjin's cheeks.

"Don't cry," Hoseok said, blinking his own tears away. "Save those for the person you fall in love with."

Seokjin smiled but nodded.

Hoseok let Seokjin go, walking towards Yoongi. Jimin and Namjoon held hands, Namjoon holding one of Yoongi's, their eyes glowing red and green. Yoongi had his free hand outstretched, his eyes already glowing an electric purple. He laced their hands together, and Hoseok's eyes began to blaze a triumphant gold. Yeonjun, Taehyung, and Jungkook joined them, and they all stood around Seokjin, whose eyes had fluttered to a close.

The light around the room intensified, making it difficult for anyone to see, even the Purebloods. They concentrated their energies, feeling everything pass through them all at once. It felt wonderful— almost as if Hoseok was meant to do this like everything that Hoseok had gone through had led him to this precise moment.

"Goodbye, Hoseok."

Seokjin opened his eyes briefly to meet Hoseok's golden eyes for the final time. Hoseok smiled, golden eyes melting in warmth as he gazed upon his first love with nothing but happiness. Despite all the wrongs, everything was going to finally fall into place. All Hoseok had to do was embrace it.

"Goodbye, Seokjin."

a/n: wow scar actually coming through and readying themselves to finish mfm? crazyyyyyyy. whew, so much happened between these two chapters, and i been ghosting so much that wattpad sent me a whole message being like yo why haven't you updated your stories either finish them or mark them complete geez. idk why but it actually made me laugh out loud. 

i think i have pretty much wrapped up everything in this book— whatever i have not (I'm there might be some confusion), will be explained in the next chapter (the final, the epilogue <33333), so it's truly about to be the end of an era! 

instead of writing out that hoseok had unlocked his abilities, i decided to focus more on micah. i wanted no redemption on his end, and i thought it would be better to have you guys piece everything together with micah so it's like a "oh shiiiiiit" moment, instead of a "oh, i knew this was going to happen"

ngl guys i got a lil sad writing the last part with hoseok and seokjin getting closure and stuff because wow we have evolved. i'll go more in depth about that in the author's note (so customary).

can y'all believe wattpad now has a publish later feature? like wow wattpad has gotten so advanced i can literally schedule when things are coming out, this is so crazy !

the epilogue will publish august 28 ( only because i started writing this december 28, 2020 and i want to end on the 28 )

thank you for your support! it means a lot especially when i have been so inactive <33333

if you have any questions abt anything that has happened in the book, please let me know and i'll do my best to answer!

i love you lots <3