WHERE MONSTERS HIDE | TXT

1: The Promise

TAEHYUN

THE SMELL OF THE WORLD BURNING AROUND HIM WAS A SCENT ALL TOO FAMILIAR TO KANG TAEHYUN.

It seemed to be ingrained into the very essence of who he was. Fire, blazing white light, the sizzle of his touch. All of these were a part of him, although the knowledge of his own identity seemed to fade further into the back of his skull as every second passed.

Perhaps that was why he felt as though he were trapped in a haze as he lay on his back in a pile of sticks and leaves, the sounds of fire crackling barely heard through the ringing in his ears, bits of ash falling like flakes of snow all around him. He was afraid, but deep down, he felt as though he should have been at peace. It was, after all, fire and dust that had given him life to begin with.

But when he cast his gaze up to the stars, the young boy was not filled with peace.

It was instead fear that trickled through his veins. The biggest star in the sky, burning brighter than all the rest, seemed to blind him as he shifted uncomfortably on the ground, leaves crunching below his weight. The slip of paper in his pocket seemed to burn a hole through his skin as he grew painfully aware, once again, of the reason why he had been created. He wanted — no, he needed to escape the glare of that damned star before it drove him to pure insanity. The words of the celestial being began to buzz in the back of his mind, haunting him, nearly choking him with their persistence.

"Rise, my son. Your work has just begun."

If he had the courage to challenge the stars, he would have screamed no from the top of his lungs right then and there. That courage, however, was something he lacked. He was a quiet boy, never one to boast without any merit. And when it came to his dealings with the things above, not a single word of confidence had ever slipped past his lips.

So he knew he had no choice but to rise as he had been instructed.

He struggled to his feet, every muscle in his body begging for more rest. After gaining his balance, he reached a hand to his face, checking to make sure the patch still covered his left eye. Somehow, amidst all the chaos and destruction, it had managed to stay put. He was thankful for that, at the very least.

The forest he had just begun to call home was painted shades of furious reds and oranges. Even with the patch over his eye, the world looked brighter to Taehyun than it did to most. The shapes of the trees and each blade of grass seemed to be outlined in ink, colors deeply saturated, dimensions and depth all the more real to him than they would have been for the average person. The flames were somewhat distant from where the edge of the forest where he and his friends had collapsed, but they were still close enough to make his skin crawl as the orange glow in the distance seemed to taunt him with its presence.

His friends.

With his heart in his throat, he whipped his head around, placing his hand on the trunk of a nearby tree to steady himself. His three companions hadn't made a single sound since he had regained consciousness, so he hadn't even thought about them at first.

When his eyes landed on the first of his friends, his breath caught in his throat.

Choi Yeonjun was a few yards away from the tree Taehyun was leaning against. He was on his knees, fists wrapped around one of the ivory antlers that extended far above him, the base of it lost beneath his ashy hair.

With a stroke of horror, Taehyun watched as his friend began to yank on his horn. An awful groan ricocheted off the trees, so sharp that he thought his ears might bleed. Yeonjun's eyes squeezed shut from the pain as violet blood began to leak from his head, dripping like rain down his face that was caked with dirt and grime. He pulled, and pulled, and pulled — until Taehyun finally came to his senses as he rushed towards his older friend and shouted, "Yeonjun, wait!"