Chapter Text
The melody was a siren’s song, one Zoey would happily drown for. It infected her mind, blocking out the voice that yelled she was ‘too much and not enough.’ A beacon of light in the endless abyss that had swallowed her heart. She craved it like a starving woman would a feast, even as a part of her screamed that this was wrong.
Somewhere, she knew Mira was in the same position. Zoey had seen her as they entered the stadium within Namsan Tower, but they had quickly separated. It was a relief— even the thought of her former bandmate was a dagger to Zoey’s heart. She’d thought she belonged with them, Mira and Rumi both. What an idiot she had been.
This— the performance drawing her in like a moth to a flame— was all that mattered now. What had she been thinking, trying to take down the Saja Boys? Heh, Takedown, like the song she had poured her heart into only for Rumi to despise.
Because she was a demon.
She had lied to them.
Zoey stamped the thought out. It was easy with the words washing over her. Really, the Saja Boys deserved this victory. They were so beautiful, so heavenly. How could Zoey not want to give them all they desired? As they leaned down from the stage, hands sweeping over the fanatic crowd, Zoey found herself craving their touch. She had to get to them, had to prove her devotion.
So when they suddenly appeared further back— closer to the monstrous pink flame that would have made Zoey’s hunter instincts scream had they not withered away— her feet began to move in that direction without conscious input. She hardly noticed her surroundings, paying no heed to the throngs of fans walking alongside her. Her eyes were locked onto the Saja Boys, who had begun to levitate at the climax of their song.
“Gimme your desire! Once we set the world on fire!”
Step. Step. Step. The flames were getting ever closer, the heat threatening to sear Zoey’s skin. Still, she didn’t stop her march forward. She would be baptized in the fire and freed from this existence of constantly trying to prove herself. Of pretending she was actually someone important, someone others could rely on.
“Nar hwanholae chwihae, you can’t look away. No one is coming to save you!”
A flash of regret struck her at the image of Rumi, tears in her eyes and pleading for Zoey not to leave her. And what had Zoey done? She had raised her shin-kal at the woman she’d learned to rely on. The one she’d…
“Now we’re running wild. You’re down on your knees, I’mma be your idol!”
This is what I deserve.
It should have been her final thought. Yet before she could take those final steps toward oblivion, a chorus rose from the hallway leading into the stadium. Stopping in place, Zoey started to turn, moving like she was underwater and had heard the splash of a life preserver.
“We are Hunters, voices strong.”
That voice. Zoey hardly noticed her eyes widening, suddenly needing to see the approaching figure. Thankfully, the crowd parted for the woman with each step, giving Zoey the chance to watch as she approached.
“Slaying demons with our song.”
Rumi didn’t look much different than when Zoey had last seen her. She was wearing only her undershirt and shorts from their performance of Golden, and every exposed inch of skin was littered with demon patterns. They shone with a harsh pink light, as though a physical manifestation of their owner’s anguish. One of her eyes was the brown Zoey remembered, but the other had been overtaken by a bright yellow hue. Neither gleamed with the spark Zoey always loved to see on their leader. It was like she was already a corpse being puppeted by Gwi-Ma.
“Fix the world and make it right. When darkness finally meets the light.”
By now, a path was open for Rumi, letting her face the massive flame Gwi-Ma used as his physical form. He was a mountain compared to her, ready and willing to swallow her like a bug. First, though, he chose to relish in his victory.
“You come here like this?” Gwi-Ma taunted, flames jumping with each word. “You think you can fix the world? You can’t even fix yourself.”
“I can’t.” Even Rumi’s voice sounded dead. Zoey couldn’t recognize any trace of the woman who had practically been bouncing off the walls for their release of Golden just a few weeks prior.
“And now everyone finally sees you for what you really are.”
My light. That was the immediate thought to come to Zoey, but she’d given Rumi no reason to think that way.
“They do.”
“And the Honmoon is gone.”
Zoey couldn’t bring herself to react to the proclamation. The haze over her thoughts was too great, insisting she turn back toward the fire and finish what she’d started. Rumi’s presence here meant nothing. Zoey was still alone.
Except Rumi— brave, stupid Rumi, looked ready to face Gwi-Ma all by herself. “It is,” she acknowledged, eyes hardening. “So what?”
Everything froze. Zoey swore she could hear a pin drop as even Gwi-Ma seemed caught off guard by her statement. “Oh?”
Rumi tread forward, not a single soul moving to halt her advance. “Demons are free now. But you, Gwi-Ma, are not fit to rule us. I will be taking that spot from you.”
At that moment, a part of Zoey’s mind broke, refusing to comprehend what she was hearing. Rumi as a Demon Lord? Even if she had patterns, Zoey’s sweet, lovable friend would never go that far.
Then again, what does she have to lose? You abandoned her. Pushed her to the edge. Now she has nothing left. Zoey couldn’t distinguish the feeling from all the others raging in her chest. She could sense her mind sinking under Gwi-Ma’s spell once more, powerless to resist.
That was, until Gwi-Ma laughed.
It was an awful, booming sound, reverberating through the area like a plague. With each passing millisecond, it spread further, more and more of Gwi-Ma’s thralls taking up the mantle. It was doubtful they even knew what they were laughing over, the hypnotized audience simply doing what made them feel good.
Only a few people stayed silent. Jinu was one, the sole Saja Boy who looked unamused by the entire situation. Rumi, of course, was another, letting the jeers slide off her with the same stoicism she’d shown since arriving. Zoey hoped Mira was a third— The thought of her friend becoming so hateful was too painful to imagine.
Zoey was the last. Instead, the laughter had the opposite effect on her as everyone else, jolting her from Gwi-Ma’s control with a horrified gasp. She nearly fell to her knees due to the overwhelming clarity shrieking that she’d made a terrible mistake. Because this was an all too familiar scene to Zoey— standing alone while crowds of people delighted in her torment.
Memories flooded her mind— of having notebooks filled with song lyrics torn up in middle school, of being shoved in a locker and left there for over an hour until a janitor took pity on her, of being shunned at every corner. Moments of her childhood that haunted Zoey to this day. And now Rumi was going through the same, but worse, because the first two people to cast her aside like garbage had been those she entrusted with her life.
Oh God, Rumi!
A rampaging need overtook Zoey then. She had to reach her friend, no matter what. But the moment she tried to scramble forward, strong arms held her back. Zoey cried out and twisted her limbs, struggling to escape with every ounce of might. She turned and saw her captors were other members of the crowd, a faraway look in their eyes as they held Zoey down. She couldn’t break free from their grips, not unless she summoned her shin-kal and attacked.
It was the only thing that could stop her in that moment, as every fiber of Zoey’s being resisted at the thought of harming an innocent. She could only watch the scene before her, a fact which would bring her great shame for the remainder of her mortal life.
Rumi was still moving, getting closer and closer to the Demon King. She had no weapon but her nails sharpened into claws that could tear even the toughest of creatures apart. A wall of flames though? Rumi stood no chance. Zoey screamed her name, terrified at losing a piece of her soul.
And Rumi… sang. Lyrics flowed from her lips, being casted on with a whole new meaning as they changed to reflect Rumi’s true feelings. Zoey could only wonder how she hadn’t recognized the truth sooner.
“Waited so long to break these walls down,
To wake up, and feel like me.
But these patterns have broken the past now,
Revealed these demons that they all see.”
Zoey’s eyes widened as Rumi’s claws began to grow brighter with each line sung. They emanated a pulsating, magenta light, just like the tears in the Honmoon.
What… What was Rumi doing?
“No more lying,
Now I’m fighting,
Like I’m born to be!”
The final word echoed with demonic energy, making Zoey instinctively stiffen. She wasn’t the only one nervous either, as Gwi-Ma finally showed a hint of fear with his next order.
“Kill her now!”
Rumi was no longer singing, but whatever she’d done with the scattered remnants of the Honmoon remained. The magenta of her claws seemed to glare at all angles, staring into Zoey with a palpable anger even from so far away. She doubted even their weapons crafted from the Honmoon could stand up to that power.
With Gwi-Ma’s order, the Saja Boys descended on Rumi. The sight tore Zoey’s heart from her chest— her struggles intensifying ten-fold as terror wracked her body. Distantly, she could hear her screams being echoed by a voice she knew better than her own. Mira was conscious too, and from the sound of it, she was also held down yet desperate as Zoey to protect their girl. It didn’t matter that Rumi claimed she’d steal Gwi-Ma’s power. She was still Rumi , and they had to get to her.
While they fought to escape, Rumi met the Saja Boys head on. She weaved under a joint attack from Abby and Romance, claws swiping at both their chests to make the demons stumble back. Though her back was exposed to a lunge from Mystery, that didn’t matter as she vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing above the boy to dropkick his head. He was knocked to the ground, leaving him prone for Rumi’s claws to cut through his throat.
Before she could do so, Baby was there, kicking her in the guts with enough force that Zoey could see spit fly from her mouth. The sight made her own guts churn in agony, yet Rumi kept moving. Clawed fingers wrapped around Baby’s outstretched leg, yanking him off his feet with a yelp as his back struck the ground.
Abby and Romance had recovered by then, the former stabbing at Rumi’s stomach. She barely managed to weave away in time, claws grazing her side and drawing blood. Tears flooded Zoey’s eyes at the steady flow of red coming from her best friend. She’d never been religious, but at that moment, she prayed to every higher power she could imagine for Rumi to make it through this in one piece.
Energy continued to pulse through Rumi’s claws, and despite her panic Zoey caught the wariness in how the Saja Boys approached her. Jinu wasn’t even attacking, while the rest kept a close eye on Rumi’s right hand. When she jabbed at the still downed Mystery with them, he rolled away with a frenzy that parted his hair, letting Zoey see his wide, fearful eyes. Whatever Rumi had done clearly gave her an advantage, even outnumbered four to one.
That was proven as she spun toward Romance. The demon leaned back to avoid her slash, but it didn’t matter. A sharp light flew from Rumi’s fingers, cutting straight through his throat. With that simple motion, the first of the Saja Boys had been killed, fading away in a brilliant luster.
The others froze up at the loss of their comrade, and that proved to be their downfall. Rumi moved like a woman possessed, one hand tearing through Baby’s heart while the other shot off more of that warped power straight into Abby’s stupidly hot abs. They didn’t even have time to scream before vanishing back into the Demon Realm.
Since Jinu still hadn’t moved, Mystery was the only one left. In desperation, he pulled upon whatever twisted source of energy demons had to manifest a great sword in his hands. He clutched the weapon with a white-knuckled grip and swung at Rumi with a scream.
Rumi flew forward in a single, smooth motion. Claws flashed upward and sent the sword flying from Mystery’s grasp, leaving him no time to react before she cut right through his chest. He disappeared with horror etched on his features.
Four Saja Boys were dead, and Rumi had hardly broken a sweat. Zoey could only stare with her jaw agape, her brain refusing to form a single coherent thought.
Even so, the battle wasn’t over. Not when Jinu finally walked forward, making his way to Rumi with a pace that didn’t match the urgency of the situation. He lifted the brim of his ridiculously wide hat, locking eyes with Zoey’s girl.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked in a flat tone. “You won’t be able to defeat Gwi-Ma, no matter what you try.”
At that, Rumi laughed, the first sign of emotion she’d displayed since arriving. Yet it sounded nothing like the soft chortles Zoey tried to draw from her on a daily basis. Cruelty was woven into each breath, oppressive in how it spread to every corner of the arena.
“Wasn’t it you who said us demons can only live with our pain and misery?” Rumi challenged, making Jinu flinch. “The torture I’ve felt far exceeds anything Gwi-Ma can throw at me. I will destroy him, whether I have to cut through you or not. So will you get in my way, or will you step aside so I can annihilate those voices you hate so much?”
“She is a fool!” Gwi-Ma yelled. At the same time, the patterns on Jinu’s skin lit up while his face twisted in agony. “You can never escape your past, Jinu. Only I have the power to make you forget. Side with her, and you’ll suffer for all eternity!”
A million emotions flashed through Jinu’s face, each more complicated than the last. The silence only lasted a few seconds, but to Zoey it felt like an eternity. She’d never seen Jinu like this— gasping for air like a drowning man, quivering eyes darting between the Demon Lord and his opponent, hands trembling with a feeling Zoey couldn’t name. Jinu looked like his very soul was being torn in two, unable to reach cohesion.
That was until he closed the remainder of the distance between him and Rumi, standing by her side and dipping his chin in acknowledgement. “Finish what you came here for.”
“You’ll pay for this! Both of you will be immolated in my flames over the course of centuries!” Those very flames lashed out, flying toward the duo in waves of destructive heat that had Zoey shrieking Rumi’s name once more.
Rumi didn’t move. She faced the inferno head on, hand snapping up to catch the flames between jagged fingers. The flash of her claws grew so great Zoey had no choice but to look away. Even so, she heard the scream. Rumi yelled like her entire being was fighting back, her distress washed away by the roar of Gwi-Ma’s fury. Except those flames grew quieter and quieter, their heat slowly withering with each passing second. Zoey forced herself to look into the searing light to see what was happening.
She had just enough time to see that light had encompassed every inch of Gwi-Ma’s form. He bellowed in rage, but it was too late for him to retreat. The light was smothering him— snuffing out his flames bit by bit. Zoey felt a whirlwind of emotions course through her as the final wisps comprising the Demon Lord sunk into Rumi’s brilliance, that light retreating back toward her claws before dimming entirely.
Not a second later, multiple members of the crowd jolted as patterns flashed on their skin. They weren’t new, Zoey realized. Those people had been demons from the start, disguised as humans to watch their leader’s success, now shouting in surprise as a sudden force drew them to their knees.
When Rumi spoke, it was with that same booming voice that had convinced Zoey to draw her weapon on the girl. It echoed all around them, commanding in its very presence. “We demons have no right to the mortal realm. It’s time we took responsibility for our sins.”
That was the only warning the demons got before they were pulled beneath the ground itself, banished back into the Demon Realm by no more than a single woman’s will. In the same instant, the people holding onto Zoey relinquished their grips. She didn’t hesitate, sprinting toward Rumi with a voice entirely separate from demons screaming that if she failed to reach the girl, she would lose her forever.
“RUMI!” Zoey shrieked the name like it could tether its owner to this world. She stood like a goddess at the center of the stage. It was just her and Jinu there, their patterns shining pink in a clear sign they would be pulled under too. The idea alone was enough to lodge Zoey’s heart in her throat. She couldn’t leave them. She couldn’t!
Zoey’s prayers fell on deaf ears. It didn’t matter how much she wanted to make things right, she was too late. Across the stage, similar emotions made their way across Mira’s face as she too moved in vain to grasp the woman who meant the world to her— who meant the world to them both. As for Rumi herself, she looked back and forth between the girls with an anguished smile.
“I’m sorry.” Rumi’s whisper barely reached Zoey’s ears. “For everything.”
And that was it. She and Jinu fell into a world Zoey and Mira couldn’t reach, leaving not a single trace of their presence behind. She was gone.
No. She can’t be. There has to be some way to save her!
Despair warred with a desperate, fleeting hope in her heart. The clash left Zoey paralyzed, the roar in her ears drowning out the confused mutterings of a crowd slowly recovering from their daze. Her eyes were locked onto the spot where Rumi had just been, so close yet so far.
Then, finally, Zoey lifted her head, gaze locking onto Mira’s own. A single question resonated between them, not needing to be spoken aloud to pierce their hearts.
What are we going to do now?