[AGUST]
[One Day Ago]
"In the face of love, So Hee, we are weakest and strongest at the same time," King Agust said confidently as he looked at his enforcer. He had changed a lot and there was no denying that.
There was more to the king than the Lycan had ever come to terms with and right now as he planned to leave everything because of Jiminie. So Hee could only ever wish the best for the man who had taken her in and treated her like his own.
It wasn't the worst of things, but it was something. It had to count for something because that was the only thing out of this.
"How long?" So Hee asked. She wanted to hope for the best while expecting the worst and that was something that Agust had to give her. It didn't matter that shit was going to go sideways for them.
It did matter that there were a thousand and one risks associated with what they were about to do. This was the risk they had chosen to take and they had to deal with it, whichever way the outcome pushed them.
"I wish I could say there was a timeline that could work for us, So Hee. But there isn't one. This I must do as retribution for what I did to Jiminie. It's the only way. Someday we will be here again until then, let's be happy, yeah?" Agust said as he looked at the distant sky.
He was once a happy man… Who was he kidding anyway? He had only ever been happy when Jiminie was around. His erasthai was his happiness and even though Agust was taking a risk, this was one he was proud of taking.
He didn't mind that shit would screw him and everything he had built. What mattered was that his erasthai was alive and well. That was the only thing that he had strived hard for.
No matter what side of the chaos they found themselves in, this was the one side that Agust didn't have any regrets for whatsoever.
"You're not supposed to give up, Xiao. You're supposed to try and fight. You need to fight back, if not for us, then for Jiminie. He wouldn't want you to give up just like that as if you're not the most powerful man in the realm," So Hee argued.
Agust stared at his enforcer softly. He could tell that this wasn't the kind of news that So Hee had been expecting from him, but at the same time, he couldn't say shit that would make her life easier. This was to them a gamble that they had to wait and play out.
"I am not giving up, So Hee. I am going to be fighting, that's why I need you to be there for Jiminie. I need him to know that he is never going to be alone and to understand that regardless of what happens to me and with me;
"... he will always be loved and I will always have a claim to Helia," Agust said and this time, she knew she wasn't going to be able to convince him.
She wanted to say that Agust was losing his mind or even that shit was never going to make any sense for her, but then she understood. She knew what the mate bond was like and she knew that life was never going to be the same for them.
Agust had gotten an erasthai and he wanted to protect him. That was something that So Hee couldn't fault her best friend for. So, she made the decision that would be better for both of them, or maybe it would just be the one that got people raising eyebrows.
But at this point, Agust just didn't care about anything anymore.
"I have a better idea, one that makes sure we don't lose you, and you don't lose Jiminie," So Hee began and Agust looked at her in silence. He was sure that whatever idea she had was stemming from her denial and frankly, it wouldn't change a thing for him.
But then at the same time, he was determined to give So Hee closure, which was why he nodded at her to keep talking, hiding silently that it wasn't another dismissal of his proposal to her.
Surely it wouldn't be too bad, right?
"Don't step down from the throne. The Lycans need you. If you're not on the throne. People will talk and a lot of shit will follow, things that will be worse than Chang Zhu's obsession with making your life difficult," So Hee said.
Agust looked at her wondering what the fuck she was on about. His twin brother was an asshole and there was nothing on the face of the earth that would make him change. Absolutely nothing, right?
"You know that is impossible if I have to protect Jiminie, So Hee. Me staying on the throne is just going to fuck things up more than I intend for them. I have to cast the spell to protect Jiminie and I have to make sure that nothing harms him.
"I know you want things to be better and I understand you, but it can't be for both of us, not like this," Agust said and a soft laugh emerged in the distance as the door opened to reveal the one person that Agust wasn't sure he was ready to see just yet.
The mad king had so many ghosts from his past, but this was the one ghost that he wished he could never see again.
It wasn't because he hated this ghost, but because this particular one was the first reminder that once upon a time, he had been humane before everything went to shit.
"Jung Hyuk," So Hee breathed.
"Well, hello sister. You look like you lived a thousand years of hardship with Xiao Ming, and he somehow looks worse than you at the moment. What the fuck is going on with the both of you?" Jung Hyuk asked as he looked at So Hee and Agust.
He looked different from the last time the two had seen him and he looked better than the both of them. Perhaps it was because of how things had gotten the last time they had been together or maybe it was because, despite all that, they still had a foundation, right?
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," Agust said as he stared at the man before him.
"Me neither, Xiao Ming. But then a little birdie told me that your brother was sighted at the borders of Helia. I had to come and keep my promise to you; I won't let anyone hurt you this time," Jung Hyuk said and Agust sighed.
A part of him should have expected that this was what Jung Hyuk had come for even though he wanted to think that it was something else.
The promise they had made for each other was years and years ago. It was the one promise that could either doom them or keep them close to each other and sane enough to get through the chaos at the moment.
"I'm fine. Besides, it's been a long day, I need to sleep. I'll see you both later," Agust said dismissively before he disappeared, leaving them confused. What was even going on this time?