Bleak eyes stared into the dense forest. The delight of its new life had dulled as a haze blurred Seonghwa's vision. He couldn't listen to the song of the birds with glee anymore. Felt as if they whispered with malice, like those ghosts Hongjoong kept close had done.

When Jongho noticed the slump of his shoulders, he assessed Seonghwa's well-being once more with his intelligent gaze.

"You paled. Are you feeling well?"

The rustle of last year's fallen leaves under their feet stopped. In the distance, the villagers laughed about something, light-hearted and full of hope now that the royal physician was here.

Seonghwa hung his head.

"I am, just... Shaken. I never suspected magic."

Hongjoong. He never suspected Hongjoong. Had helped him every day in his obscure tasks. How did Seonghwa never realise their sinister character? Those eerie plants Hongjoong told him never to eat because they would kill him. The summoning circles and shadows following him everywhere. Even Hongjoong's coldness as no person could gain such a skill without sacrificing their humanity.

"How... would you get rid of the curse then? The dark magic?"

Though Seonghwa felt numb from his realisation, he was nervous about the answer. Had Hongjoong stopped cursing everyone or was this an outer influence protecting them and Seonghwa aided in his quest to conquer the village?

What would happen if they found him in his lonely tomb?

Jongho glanced towards the bleak grey skies. It might rain soon, no longer cold enough for the water to freeze in the air.

"Since this is a mortal curse, it will only thwart once it finds nothing more to fester in. Which means all bodies are dead and the souls are under the control of the necromancer. That person grows stronger with every kill, raising an army of dead around them."

In all this time, Hongjoong put none of them to sleep. He gathered them, listened to their names and their goals in their lifetime. Made them take form and become attached to him.

Seonghwa didn't even need to ask. There had been a reason Hongjoong didn't tell him the whole truth and this was it.

He was undoubtedly the necromancer whose magic poisoned these lands. Seeking power. Killing the living to tend to the dead. Not once, Seonghwa had seen him do something human. He might as well be one of them, haunting these lands.

Jongho continued, clueless about the mayhem in Seonghwa's heart. He never experienced such a stabbing pain in his chest, and it took his breath away. Though he wanted to sink to the ground to scream and cry in his anguish, he retained his trembling limbs to listen to Jongho's thoughtful words.

"To get rid of such a curse, you must kill the source of the foul magic. Necromancy is forbidden in our kingdom and all practisers will be sentenced to immediate execution upon being found out."

Seonghwa clamped his lips shut. He wanted to defend Hongjoong, wanted to assure everyone he wasn't evil, but it would be a lie.

Seonghwa's mother had been right. Where he had been too blind to see, Jongho brought the truth to the people.

The physician turned, contemplating Seonghwa's miserable state. In his eyes lingered his suspicion that Seonghwa was the necromancer, but he had no clue.

That Seonghwa got to know him and spent so much time near him. Fell in love with him and laid with him in the most sacred of acts.

Clawed fingers dug into Seonghwa's shoulders as he needed to hold himself together so his agony wouldn't burst out of him. He wanted to rage, wanted to rip the flesh from his bones to punish his stupidity. Wanted to bash his head against a rock until he would stop thinking about Hongjoong, his secretive chuckles, and Seonghwa's undying foolishness.

Jongho continued, voice even. He left no room for doubt. There was no such a thing as a friendly necromancer. The very character of their magic was malicious.

"I am a healer, not a hunter. Once I find the necromancer, I will call for the royal guards to catch them. Once that foul mage is gone, your village may recover. Some scars won't heal, but they are unnatural in character, so they won't kill the villagers."

Seonghwa nodded pitifully. That sounded just. The source of evil purged and while the dead wouldn't return and their lives would never be normal again, at least the last of them would make it.

How horrid the thought of Hongjoong dead should have been. But now, only cold satisfaction filled Seonghwa's heart. It detached itself from Hongjoong, shoved all their past encounters away with disgust.

Even if Hongjoong was genuine and spared Seonghwa because he liked him... Even then.

No, he should have stopped. Never should have come here. Never should have chosen innocent people as his victims. No matter his reason, such a curse was most vile.

"What will happen to the necromancer? Will he be locked up?"

Why Seonghwa? Why had Hongjoong been kind to him? Spared him of the curse providing him with the souls of this village?

As much as Seonghwa's damaged heart hoped for a good explanation, it didn't matter. Hongjoong killed these people. Cursed them with his magic. No matter how kind he was to Seonghwa, he was a murderer.

And no excuse could restore the betrayal in Seonghwa's chest.

"Necromancers are powerful beings, so it's unwise to wait with the kill. The church couldn't cleanse their twisted souls, either. A quick death is most merciful," Jongho replied. This time, he also sounded regretful about ending a life.

Something Hongjoong, the necromancer, didn't know how to be.

Seonghwa exhaled.

Right. Hongjoong deserved the same back as he had done to so many.

The rage and sadness in Seonghwa gathered, and he stared at a dead tree. Unable to let Jongho read the truth in his eyes.

"I know... I know the source of all this," he blurted out. His arms tightened around his shivering form.

Alert, Jongho looked him up and down. Almost as if expecting a confession.

Perhaps loving the monster had been an even worse thing to do.

"You do?"

Seonghwa nodded. If Jongho had him investigated for aiding the criminal, Seonghwa would admit to his wrongdoings. Would confess he didn't know and hope for mercy.

He lost so many people. If convicting Hongjoong meant admitting to his guilt, Seonghwa would face the court.

"I met him. The necromancer."

Jongho sucked in a sharp breath. He glanced at the village and shuffled closer to Seonghwa, keeping their voices private.

"I didn't know it was him," Seonghwa whispered, and tears gathered in his eyes at the truth. He sobbed to himself, hugging his shivering form.

Jongho placed a warm hand on the centre of his back to ground him. Lively. Compassionate.

"Seonghwa," he began, but Seonghwa firmly shook his head. They couldn't wait. He was partly at fault for what had happened, for giving Hongjoong information and for allowing him to get cosy in his murders.

"I... I will kill him. I have to. For what he did to our people." Seonghwa's voice trembled and more tears poured over his cheeks, but he didn't hold back. Sobbed by Jongho's side as the physician tried to figure out their relationship.

"You don't know his scheme. Why he left you unhurt. It's wiser to wait for reinforcements. You aren't equipped to kill a being like him," he appealed, though he sounded glad someone knew the source.

But Wooyoung took so long. By the time reinforcements arrived, would anyone be left? Hongjoong might already know Jongho was here and try to kill him before he could call for help.

No, Seonghwa had to do this. He couldn't hesitate. His hurt gave him courage.

"It doesn't matter... If the village can only heal if he dies, then... He has to die."

-

Jongho accepted he couldn't stop Seonghwa, and he kept his secret. After briefing him on everything he knew, he promised to find a weapon in the village that might be able to strike Hongjoong's foul heart. They promised to meet again in private, and Seonghwa dragged his exhausted limbs back home to get some rest before he went on the worst mission of his life.

Hongjoong was killable with a blade, but Jongho warned Seonghwa he might die trying since Hongjoong had powerful allies. Getting so close to striking him in the heart would be near impossible if Hongjoong saw him coming.

But Jongho didn't know how close they were. That Seonghwa was the only one who dared step into the necromancer's embrace.

Hongjoong trusted him. And that trust was the way to his heart.

After a long day of anguish, Seonghwa was exhausted, as if he had chopped wood all day. He entered his home quietly so he wouldn't disturb his mother and his feet dragged over the floor as he took off his coat.

Having awaited his return, his mother rustled among her pillows. Seonghwa lit a new fire and came over to her, taking in her sunken state and the unseeing grey of her eyes.

"Hwa?" She asked, lifting her hands toward his silhouette. Seonghwa sunk onto the ground by the bed and clutched her bony fingers between his.

"Yes," he whispered. "I'm home."

He never should have left. Never should have gone on that adventure. His home had always been safe, and his mother warned him of the dangers in the mountains.

As always, Seonghwa's kindness got him hurt. He still had to grow up a lot. To think about all the things he entrusted to Hongjoong...

Seonghwa shook himself.

No, it was too late. He couldn't reverse time, and he had to live with his guilt. But he could make up for his mistake. By protecting his people as he had promised to. No one else here was in good enough health. Seonghwa had to be the one.

His mother's guidance and his collar would protect him.

"Did you have a nice day, Hwa?"

"I did," Seonghwa muttered, glad she couldn't see the tear streaks on his face. "The physician from the royal court finally arrived. We can finally heal, mother. Everyone will make it. Wooyoung and the baker lady and the mayor. Perhaps he can even help you."

Though her disease came from other causes, Jongho was a wise man. He might have a solution, even for her.

Once this nightmare was over, Seonghwa would ask him before he left. Would hope for that one favour, even if Seonghwa needed to confess his deeds before a court.

"Really?" The kind surprise in her voice was happy with him, ever so subtle. Soothed by her character, Seonghwa placed his head on the edge of the bed. He was so tired. He had to cook and wash up first, then he wanted to rest his haunted eyes.

If he was lucky, his crying had worn him out enough to find some sleep before the big day.

"Yes. He promised to fix everyone and I can help," Seonghwa whispered. Spindly fingers caressed through his hair and down the side of his neck.

"I'm so proud of you, my precious son. You are so mature. Tending to us all. You take after your father so much."

Seonghwa cracked a smile. He had always looked up to his father, even after his death.

Yet it was undeserved praise. It wouldn't have come this far if Seonghwa realised what Hongjoong was. That something was off about him. He could have told the mayor. They could have chased Hongjoong away.

But now they were in so deep. There was no other way to do this.

"I'll make him proud. Make you proud," Seonghwa promised. His heart was heavy with the burden he placed upon it.

Soon, everything would be over. If Jongho had mercy on him, Seonghwa could return to his regular life, no longer haunted by the shadow of his deeds. He would never question the villagers again, or his own family. They only had each other. Hongjoong was an outside force, and he only brought suffering.

As miserable as Seonghwa's heart was, falling in love and getting ripped from it so cruelly, he knew this was the right thing to do.

"I know you will, Hwa. You are such a lovely man."

Seonghwa buried his face in the sheets when Hongjoong calling him lovely rang through his head. He had no more tears to cry.

With a shuddering exhale, he stood. Squeezed his mother's hand lightly before he left her side to prepare their meal and wash up.

He slept restlessly, but that much was to be expected. Visions of murder and Hongjoong's face in the shadows haunted him. In the morning, Seonghwa washed up and packed a quick breakfast. He whispered his goodbyes to his mother soundlessly. Hoping to come back as the one he promised to be.

Jongho awaited him behind the church. He didn't speak, only handed Seonghwa a bundle and squeezed his shoulder.

Nothing more needed to be said.

With the blade hidden in the sheath around his stomach, Seonghwa left his home and tugged the door shut to make his path up the mountain for the last time.