Chapter Text
in the days of the old, when neither you, nor i, have been born yet, the almighty demiurge, who created and rules over everything in this universe, dwelt among his creations. the divinity made the peculiar decision to take on the form of a cat but with his pristine white fur, and blue and green eyes that contained a knowing that not even the most gifted humans could fathom, one could easily distinguish him from the rest of the world’s feline. with his small yet powerful paws, he blessed the land and made trees and grains drooping with fruit. with his innate wisdom and unceasing love, he guided the humans to a perpetually pleasant life. and with his angels, he provided them companion in the time of his absence.
hyperion, his most beloved angel, the brightest among the stars that adored the night sky, looked down from the heavens.
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down below, artificial stars further illuminated the kingdom of men. with their pale yellow light, a long row of lanterns guided guests towards the castle where the annual banquet is afoot.
from one of the tallest towers of the castle gazed a young man. a cold breeze tousles his dark hair, and drains his cheeks from its natural rosy hue. surely, his father will comment on his less-than-perfect appearance yet again, he thinks to himself, but he pays it no further heed. at the moment, that cold was but a frigid yet familiar companion, a welcome one at that.
“your highness,” a voice calls him from behind. “your father requires your presence.” that was his cue. he gave the servant a trained smile before trailing him to downstairs.
“choi soobin, i expect you to be on your best behavior tonight,” the king commands him, stern, and steely-eyed like the man soobin had always known him to be.
soobin didn’t need the reminder. as the king’s only son and the crown prince, he knew exactly what he was supposed to do during gatherings like this. welcome all visitors with a smile. mingle with his constituents and find out what had been going on outside the castle walls. pick up a conversation with the members of the other royal families. accept all invitations to dance as he cannot be bothered to do the inviting himself. he’s been doing all of these for similar nights for as long as he can recall though he had never grown accustomed to it. the sight of the ballroom filled with people who are usually not in the castle still triggers fear and dread within him but only a few people knows. no more should know. as future king, he must appear confident and reliable at all times so with a tight-lipped smile, he only nods his head in agreement.
when the king turns his back to him, his mother takes it as her cue to fuss over him. as opposed to the king’s gruff countenance, his mother’s eyes were filled with pride and mirth. a small smile graces her features as she stares up at him, her hand carefully moving aside the hair falling onto his eyes. as usual, he finds comfort in the gentle gesture.
“you look wonderful tonight, son. promise me you’ll have a great time, hm?”
soobin drops his serious expression, replacing it with a genuine smile that coaxes deep dimples to appear on both sides of his face. for his dear mother, he really was willing to do everything, even pretend to enjoy a night such as this. he gives her a small nod and with their hands still clasped, they make their way down the grand staircase to the ballroom, where the king and their countless servants waited for them.
at the king’s silent nod, two servants open the great doors of the castle, bringing in a wave of guests. soobin feels the air leave his lungs as he watches the crowd make their way to them. regardless of how familiar and unfamiliar the faces grinning at him were, to soobin, they all looked manic and empty. he exchanges pleasantries with all of them, as he had been told, yet none of their responses reached, nor warmed his heart. in this ballroom brimming with people, he felt scrutinized yet unseen, surrounded yet unreachable.
“greetings, soobin-hyung!”
at the owner of that familiar voice, he directs another genuine smile.
as he had expected, beomgyu is a sight to behold. the younger prince had grown his hair out, long strands now framing his face, and making him look more mature than the last time soobin had seen him yet the smile on his face was unchanged: eyes that resembled the shape and shimmer of half-moons, rosy cheeks, equally rosy lips, and whisker dimples. as if his ethereal natural appearance wasn’t enough, they had cloaked him in a pure white outfit embellished with gems that seemed to reflect the lights from the countless chandeliers hanging above their heads. for a moment, soobin thinks he resembles an angel but then again, he probably is one. beomgyu’s the embodiment of brightness and warmth after all.
adding to the younger prince’s brilliance is taehyun. as usual, the blond knight is standing close to his liege. soobin notes the unusual similarity of their attires – the only stark difference was the lack of heavy stones in taehyun’s coat. instead, the light reflected from the hilt and the scabbard of his longsword, hanging at the side where he can easily access it when required. his eyes are always searching for anything or anyone that may harm beomgyu but for a moment, he lets his guard down, giving soobin a smile that matches the innocence and brightness behind those orbs.
being soobin’s friends since childhood, the pair had been the only people outside of his family to break through the cold that perpetually wrapped his mind and body. unfortunately for him, the distance between their kingdoms entailed separation for a good part of every year. he feels relief knowing that at the very least, his friends had each other in his absence.
as the night deepened, the crowd by the doors dissipated. alongside the loud but harmonious playing of the band, the air buzzed with the drone of men’s serious dialogue, women’s excited gossips, and children’s high-pitched giggles. heavy dishes and overflowing cups of wine were passed around as people filled their stomachs before throwing their inebriated selves in the middle of the ballroom, giddy laughter spilling out of their uninhibited lips. now engrossed in their own happiness, they paid no more attention to the prince. fully aware and relieved that his presence was not needed anymore, soobin slips unnoticed and retreats to the unoccupied hallways of the castle. all the noise fades away until they were nothing but a faint drone from the distance. soobin feels air settle into his lungs again.
as he makes his way through the seemingly endless expanse he called home, something catches his attention. a pleasant yet completely out-of-place tune reverberated alongside the echoes of his heavy footsteps. entranced like the children in that one legend, he lets the tune guide him to the source, completely apathetic towards the danger that may lie ahead of him.
the sweet sound leads him to an empty guest room in a distant area of the castle. in the balcony concealed by the dark stood two people, identities cloaked by the heavy curtains that danced along the wind’s unheard hymn. the bright full moon showed only their silhouettes but that was enough to reveal to soobin who these people are. he begins to approach them when the wind picks its pace, fully revealing what the pair was doing in such an isolated place.
unexpectedly, the source of the humming turned out to be taehyun. for the first time since soobin had known the knight, he had his eyes closed in an expression that soobin recognizes as contentment. his head rests on beomgyu’s chest, the prince’s hands wrapped in his knight’s waist as the older guided them in a slow dance. a small smile graces beomgyu’s features as he stares down at the smaller male before leaning down and planting a soft kiss on taehyun’s forehead. in response, taehyun opens his eyes to stare back at beomgyu, only to flinch as he makes eye contact with a frozen soobin, startling beomgyu in the process.
that brings soobin out of his own daze. confusion gave way to embarrassment. “i’m sorry.” he bows to them in haste. “i’ll leave you two be.”
taehyun, as he was trained to be, was the first to react. without soobin noticing, he was already next to him, a strong grip holding onto the prince’s wrist, and effectively gluing him to the spot. the young knight’s usually strong demeanor had given way to fear, one that beomgyu mirrored in his eyes.
“please, let us explain.”
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soobin leads them to his bedroom, the only place he was certain they will not be disturbed. silence settled as the pair searched for the proper words to explain what soobin had just witnessed. finally, beomgyu musters the courage. taking taehyun’s hand in his, he begins, “it is true, what you have seen. i am in love with taehyun, and he, with me.”
a smile makes its way to soobin’s face. “i’m glad to hear you reciprocate each other’s feelings. you two are a perfect match.” the smile slowly fades when he realizes the pair, nay, the couple was staring at him in utter confusion.
“you don’t think it’s strange?” taehyun asks, and in that moment, soobin was reminded of how young and innocent the knight he admired, really was. he tilts his head in question.
beomgyu chimes in. “what taehyun means is, don’t you think it’s strange for two men to be in love, and to be together?”
soobin shakes his head. he looks at them both before explaining, “knowing you two, i am assured that you will cherish each other’s heart more than a stranger from the fairer sex could ever do. if that is what your heart is telling you to do then, who am i to dictate for whom your hearts must beat for?”
“thank the heavens.” soobin flinches in surprise when beomgyu suddenly bursts into tears. “i was so anxious, thinking night after night what i have to do to not lose you should time come that we tell you about our relationship.”
Soobin gives him another smile before scooping the smaller prince in an embrace. the smile brightens more as he feels warm tears seep through his coat. beomgyu really was warmth, even when he was in tears like this. looking up, he becomes wary of taehyun’s gaze. he extends an arm to the younger boy. taehyun mumbles something under his breath but he joins his friend, and his lover in the embrace.
leaving his friends behind to compose themselves, soobin searches for another place of relief, somewhere where he could feel the cold that he was accustomed to. tears stung his eyes as an unseen weight settles on his chest, threatening to suffocate him if he stayed any second longer with his friends. he was happy for them, genuinely so, but loneliness really was an unsightly swine that desired more, desperately desired what beomgyu and taehyun had. now that those two have found love in each other, would they still need him around? surely, they wouldn’t forget about him, would they? but then again, who was he to stand in the way of their happiness, the happiness of the people who have also made him happy every moment they spent together? didn’t beomgyu and taehyun deserve what they have now? he did not need, nor want to press his miserable self in the picture of their warm and beautiful love.
up here, away from the prying eyes and unspoken taunts, the stars were his only company and comfort. not bothering to hold back his tears anymore, he looks up to the sky, his eyes affixed on the brightest star as he cries out, “please, i beg of you, let me have even just one constant in my life.”
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the demiurge, and hyperion both bear witness to the prince’s emotional collapse. though he does not own a human heart, hyperion feels something stir within him, what seems to be a fragment of the pain that the human is suffering from. it was agonizing, a sensation that he wants to gouge out of his system right that moment.
“i cannot bear to see this. go, and find out the root of that young man’s anguish,” the demiurge orders him.
still looking down on the boy with tear-stricken cheeks, eyes closed tight, screaming out desperate calls to the night, and receiving no response, he did not need to be told twice. in one swift swoop, hyperion makes his descent to the earth.