Treasures of The Damned

19. Words Like Chains

Briar took a small step back and paused for a few moments. She stared at San, who stood up from leaning against the wall to smirk at her.

It took Briar a few moments to realize...his eyes weren't red.

"Uncle Sannie?"

"Yes, Birdy?" He asked softly, sounding much gentler and caring, exactly like the man she used to love.

"What do I do...?" She asked softly and paused for a few moments.

"You're the one who has to figure that out. None of us can help you on the path you're taking."

Briar slowly nodded her head for a few moments and shifted a little bit, pressing her lips together and tilting her head backward softly. "I just...I can't hurt you guys...you're my family..." she muttered softly.

San didn't say anything for a little bit, just watching Briar. "Honey. We aren't really, though. Yes. We're the souls of your uncles. But could you imagine us being introduced to anyone? We're not normal. We're animatronics. And while yes, it is becoming more popular to have animatronics as pets or slaves, we're not normal animatronics. We're idols. We don't have any life or purpose outside of this building."

"That's not true- your children"

"Are in their 60's, Briar...none of them remember us. They were kids when we died." Yunho spoke up for a few moments.

"I'm sorry...I just...I don't want you guys stuck here if you don't have to be."

"I get that, but none of us are free. Hongjoong is too powerful. Even with all of us breaking out of his spell, he can very easily gain control of us."

"What are you saying?"

"Hongjoong is the villain in this life, Briar. All of us can snap out of our bad sides. He's not. He's so consumed by rage and hatred, that no one can get through to him. He's probably never going to get out of his evil mindset. I'm sorry. But there's no possible way for you to get through to him."

Briar paused for a moment. "But...if I can somehow save you guys...then you'll be free from his mind control?"

"That's entirely possible." Yunho hummed from behind Briar, now calm as he stood, and walked over to where she and San were. "But it's also not. We may never be able to escape him. We don't need to be in front of him for him to control us."

"What do you mean?"

"We're just parts and coding, Briar. We're not real. Computers can connect. Our hard drives are connected, that way when we're on stage we move in sync."

"So your hard drives are the part that connects you, and in turn connect you to him?"

San then nodded his head, shifting a little bit and thinking to himself. "Basically, yes. But that's not what harbors our evil sides. So, even if you were able to remove our hard drives and replace them, we'd still be evil."

Briar paused at that. "Wait when you say your hard drives are connected, how connected do you mean?" She asked softly and gently.

"We can communicate with each other through our heads, we can feel how the others are doing. Kind of like running diagnostics. That's helpful for when we're on stage. Someone could be glitching and the rest of us would be able to find out and stop the show."

"So...you can feel how like- Wooyoung is feeling? I accidentally stepped on his hand and messed up the grafted skin."

San nodded his head at that. "Yes. When I met up with him at the beginning of the night, I could feel it. It's like phantom pain. We know it's not happening to us, but we could still feel it as if it is."

Briar slowly nodded her head and thought for a few moments, not saying anything as she thought to herself. Yunho and San started to gently talk to each other before Yunho softly hummed for Briar's attention.

Briar looked up at Yunho and smiles ever so softly, "What's up, Uncle...?" She asked softly, tilting her head back and humming for a few moments.

"Your cousins. How are they?" Yunho asked softly. It had been so long since he'd seen his son.

Briar smiles ever so softly and paused for a few seconds, thinking. "Cyril is good...married to his husband." She smiled softly. She'd seen her family grow up while she stayed the same age. "They adopted some kids...I think they're grandparents now." She glanced up at Yunho. "But they're doing good. Missing you, I'm sure."

Yunho slowly nodded his head, growing lost in thought. "I just hate the way that everything ended. Within three years, all of us were gone, and we left all our kids alone. And you were all so young."

"I was 15 when my parents died, Uncle...and then I lived with Hongjoong until he was killed-..."

"Like Yunho said, young. I and Wooyoung had just adopted the cutest toddler. Whatever happened to her?" San cut in softly. "Did she go back to the orphanage?"

Briar paused for a moment at that before shaking her head. "No-...Seonghwa's daughter, Prisma had just turned 18 so she fought in court to get legal custody of her."

"Really? And she was able to win?"

"It took lots of sleepless nights and many arguments in court, but yeah. Eun-Ji was able to be adopted and go home with Prisma."

San nodded his head and had a relieved look on his face as he settled into the chair beside Yunho, leaning against him with the smallest of pouts.

Briar paused for a moment before shifting and sitting next to San, closing her eyes and relaxing for a few moments. "You guys were amazing, earlier on the stage..." She whispered, enjoying these few moments of silence.

San slowly nodded. "Thank you. It's strange. It's just like when we were alive. Performing all day. But we don't get tired. And I still love it. Do you, Yun?"

Yunho glanced at Briar and San before slowly nodding his head with a chuckle. "Strangely enough, I do. It reminds me of when we were younger. We always had so much fun with the concerts, and seeing so many Atiny, young and old, now. It's just...magical."

San slowly nodded, opening his mouth to speak before, at the same time, both he and Yunho cried out in their voices and held their arms across their stomachs.

Briar sat up, looking worried. They weren't getting taken over, she remembered what that looked like. "Uncle Sannie?! Uncle Yun?? What's going on?"

There was no answer for a few moments before San slowly looked up, a look of horror and pain in his eyes. "Something is destroying Wooyoung-..."