Kin gently tucked Nuri and Daeshim in and sat on the floor with his back against the wall. The younger man spent the better part of an hour crying his eyes out.
When Jimin told him his charge was a soft boy, he didn't believe him. Mainly because the six-foot softy was intimidating at first glance. But that impression disappeared when Kin got to know him.
Kin knew that with its leader in a coma and his heir out of the country, the Ever Night Manor would be put into lockdown. Every Void Walker would be recalled back to the manor within a few days. As the clan strategist and spymaster, Kin always hoped for the best and planned for the worst.
Several hours later, Kin received a text from the Manor ordering him and every other Void Walker to return to headquarters immediately. The message stated that the Manor was going into a period of indefinite seclusion. The Manor gave them three hours to turn on their locators and three days to report back to the manor. if they refused to do so, headhunters would be sent to track them down and bring them in by force.
As he contemplated his next course of action, another text came through, this one from Ibuki.
'Dragon Nest compromised. Dragon's hoard relocated. Dragon queen and offspring are untraceable.'
Realizing that the house security protocols mask Nuri and Daeshim's magical signature, he quickly sent a message to Ibuki.
'Dragon queen and offspring located. Will transport them to the cabin via the void. Dragon Knight recalled to the Mountain.'
Quickly locking and pocketing his phone, Kin let his mind wander.
He was torn between his duty to the manor and loyalty to Jimin and the clan. He knew that if he left them behind, Nuri and Daeshim could be in danger, and he didn't want to risk his soulmate's safety.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed that Nuri had woken up and joined him sitting on the floor.
"Is everything OK, Hia?" Nuri asked softly,
Kin refused to look at Nuri and focused on Daeshim instead. "Listen, I need to talk to you about something important. But I don't want you to freak out on me, ok?
The younger man nodded and waited for Kin to continue.
Kin took a deep breath to calm himself before blurting out "I think we might be in danger, and I have to leave to protect you."
"What are you talking about? Why do you need to leave and why would we be in danger?"
"I can't go into details, but trust me, the less you know the better."
Nuri shook his head. He couldn't believe this was actually happening.
"You can't leave me too!" Nuri whispered. "Why is everyone leaving me?"
Kin turned to face his soulmate and grabbed the younger man's face in his hands. "If we had a choice, none of us would leave you. We are doing this to keep you safe."
Nuri scoffed as Kin let go of his face to lean against the wall and stare at the ceiling.
"It's best if I'm not around for a while. I don't want anything to happen to you because of me."
"But what about us?" What about the Soulbond? You know that if we don't go through the support process you'll be in constant pain."
"I know this is tough, but we have to put the clan's safety first. I can handle a bit of pain if I can ensure your safety. I promise I'll be back as soon as possible, and we'll figure out our next steps then."
"Can't I come with you? I don't want to be left behind." Nuri leaned his head on Kin's shoulder.
"No, it's too risky. You'll be safer on clan land. I'll make sure you have everything you need to stay safe while I'm gone, and I'll be in touch as soon as I can. And hopefully, when I return, Hia Min will be with me."
"I don't want you to leave." Nuri whispered "I already lost Jimin Heyong. I don't even know if he's alive or dead."
"Look Nuri-yah. I promise to get in touch with you and send you an update on Hia MIn's condition as soon as I can."
Nuri sighed as he checked on Daeshim. "The decision is yours Hia. You know I won't force you to stay if you don't want to. Just make sure to come back to us Hia. The clan cannot afford to lose you too. I cannot afford to lose you."
"I will, I promise. You know I'll do everything I can to protect you."
Sitting there watching Nuri curl around Daeshim, Kin made the difficult decision to hide them and return to the manor as ordered. He closed his eyes and entered the Void.
"Sa-Wat-Dee Khrup, Kuhn Kin."
Kin turned to see a man with silver tattoos running down his arms and skipped the pleasantries due to the urgency of the situation. "I am cashing in the favor you owe me."
"I have lost count of how many favors I owe you, Kuhn." The man sighed. "How can I help?"
"One of my soulmates and their son are in danger and I need to get them to safety. I was hoping you could help me out."
"Of course, Kuhn. Whatever you need. Do you need me to deliver them to a location or take them to a safe house?
"I need to get them out of town as soon as possible, but I received orders to return to the manor. Could you take them into clan lands through the void?
"Absolutely. Will someone be waiting for them on the other side? You know the wards will not allow me to enter clan property without a token."
"Take them to the cabin. Someone will be waiting. Only let them go if my soulmate can identify them."
The man nodded in agreement "I'll make sure they get there safely. Is there anything else I can do to help?"
Kin shook his head "That's all for now, but I really appreciate your help."
The man smiled. "Kuhn you saved my life more times than I can count. This is the least I can do. Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
The man disappeared in a mist of shimmering silver, leaving Kin alone in the void.
Kin opened his eyes and sighed. He knew he was taking a risk by disobeying orders by not turning on his locator. However, he also knew he couldn't abandon Nuri and Daeshim. He had to make sure they were safe and protected, even if it meant going against the grandmaster's orders.
After waking up Nuri and letting him know what the plan was, Kin walked out of the house and drove for half an hour. He then turned on his locator before returning to the manor. only to find everything was in an uproar. Staff were running around preparing for the influx of Void Walkers while the grandmaster seemed satisfied with what was happening around the manor. Kin saluted her and walked away when he was dismissed. Quickly making his way to his room, he opened the door to find it as he had left it. dropping his weapons on the table l, he stretched himself out on his bed.
Kin knew he couldn't relax yet. He had to make sure Jimin was safe and no one knew about his soul group. Then he had to update Nuri on what was happening.
He had barely settled in when he was tasked with standing guard in front of Jimin's room for the next shift. As minutes turned into hours, Kin continued to protect Jimin while secretly communicating with Nuri through the Void.
He had to be careful and vigilant, as he knew that any slip-up could put both his career as a Void Walker and his soul group's safety at risk.
As the day progresses and Kin patrolled the manor, he couldn't shake off the unease he felt. He worried about leaving Nuri behind. Kin had grown so close to him over the past few years and knew how Nuri felt about being alone. Kin felt like he abandoned his duty and left Nuri vulnerable.
After stopping by the cafeteria for a quick lunch Kin headed to the central command where he was informed that there had been another security breach this time in their computers.
Kin had been ordered to lead a team of Void Walkers to investigate the cause of the explosion during the ritual of light. He also wanted to find out if the hacker was connected to the sabotage at the ritual.
Kin was shocked and overwhelmed, but he knew he had to focus on the task at hand. He hadn't had time to process what happened to his boss and soulmate. But right now finding out what happened to him took precedence over everything else.
As Kin prepared to leave, he couldn't help but think about his Soul group and wondered if they were safe. He felt guilty for leaving Nuri behind and wished he could protect him. While Kin knew that he had a job to do, he couldn't shake off the feeling of responsibility towards Nuri. He hoped that once all this was over, Jimin would forgive him for his dereliction of duty. And if he didn't, Kin would spend his entire life trying to win his forgiveness.