Island: The Legend

Chapter 24

''Van!''
The little boy ran up to his brother with a huge smile. He just finished his training for the first time without complications and wanted to tell him about it. Gungtan was pretty excited. Van on the other hand didn't look so happy at all.
''Van, I did it! I did it!''
With a jump he exclaimed his excitement. It had been weeks since the boys and Gungtan had been injected with the demon blood, the others often collapsed during training, some were dragged away and never seen again but Van and him were different. They were superior. Gungtan knew for sure that they would make it far with their new powers. No one would trample on them ever again.

When his proclaimed brother didn't react in any way but his gloom face he always put on, Gungtan placed his hand on Van's shoulder.
''Did you not hear what I said?''
He gently shook his shoulder, making the little black haired boy take a step back when he lost his balance.

Seriously, what was wrong with him?

''What? Did it not work out for you as well as it did for me?''
Gungtan felt a hand on his shoulder, a dark chuckle filled the area around them. Jeongryeong stepped next to the two boys.
''On contrary, Gungtan. Van exceeded perfectly.''
Something, maybe the pride in Jeongryeong's voice, made Gungtan's blood boil. Why was it always Van? Why was he always better than him?

It had always been like that and never changed over the years they had been serving Jeongryeong. Van always met his expectations, he even succeeded them but Gungtan... He always fell flat against Van.
''Hey, Van.''
''Hm.''
They sat in their cell like every evening. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they were quiet. Apart from Wonjeong who came by from time to time to talk to them or bring them food but after what happened to them when they wanted to brake out with her she didn't come by anymore.

''Do you miss her?''
''Who?''
Gungtan snickered and turned onto his side to look at Van who was lying on the ground, staring at the ceiling.
''Wonjeong.''
''Why would I miss her.''
He couldn't say anything to it. Why did he even ask Van that in the first place? It's not like he envied him for the affection that Wonjeong showed him. But he always felt a bit left out when she came, she always gave Van more attention than him. No one ever accepted him the way he was and gave him the love or affection other people around him received without even doing anything for it.

It went on like that for the following years and his jealousy slowly turned into hatred. Not hatred towards Van, more towards himself for not being as good as Van. He only later found out that he projected his hatred and disappointment against himself onto Van.

He was envious of everything he had. He stayed with granny and had someone who took care of him, he met Mi-Ho and fell in love, planned for the prefect life like a little child. They both knew that he could never have a normal life with her. That was before he found out that Mi-Ho actually turned him into a human again. It was his own decision when he jumped in front of them both and protected them with his body. Van had been stupid enough to throw himself in front of Mi-Ho in his human form, he could not just watch how he threw away his chance for a real life with her. Something he could never have. That was probably the reason why he smiled brightly when the attack hit him, for the first time in his life he did something out of love, and not selfish reasons to achieve his goals. For the first time he could understand what it meant to actually feel something like love and compassion.

The force pulled Mi-Ho to her out of this world and if it wasn't for Van's arms around her upper body she would have probably fallen down the building again. When Baek attacked her, her body still felt frozen. Nothing was working, she couldn't move nor could she protect herself somehow. She never expected it to work in the first place, Baek just was too strong and they were too weak. Especially with Van as a human now. But what were they supposed to do? Just give up?
Her eyes were wide in horror when Van came running towards her, in his human form he would have never been able to survive this attack. Something warm was running over her hand at his back. Blood. She was sure of it. What else would it be?
When she felt his body getting heavy they both sunk down onto their knees, Mi-Ho trying to steady Van in some way but she failed.
''Van!''