kingdom falling | gyuricky

seventyfive | no surprises, please

They retreated to a quiet corner behind some trees, where they were out of sight from the footpath. No one was paying any particular attention to them anyway, but using spiritual energy in the underworld was sure to cause some kerfuffle since they were supposed to be, well, dead. The talisman was not a basic one, but Gyuvin only had to draw it three times before Ricky had memorized its strokes by heart.

Ricky stood so he was facing Gyuvin, letting spiritual energy condense at the tips of his fingers, and he drew. The seeking talisman lit up in blue on Gyuvin's forehead, and everything was still for a long few moments, before he began to feel a sort of pulsing, like a blood connection drawing him towards something in the distance.

Gyuvin opened his eyes. "Did it work? Can you feel where he is?"

Ricky nodded, and gestured in the direction of the talisman's pull. "Let's go."

Gyuvin followed him silently through winding streets, his head down so as not to draw any unnecessary attention. Sometimes Ricky would stop for a few seconds, like he was recalibrating in his head, before beginning to walk again. Before long, they had reached a big house at an intersection, with a tall wooden fence surrounding the plot of land. A large wood-carved sign over the front gate read Sunflower Orphanage in curvy but clean writing.

"He's here?"

"If the talisman worked the way it should have," Ricky answered.

Gyuvin hesitated. The gate was closed, but not locked. There were no children outside, but he could hear the sounds of people inside the house. He placed his hand on the gate for a second, then pulled it away.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you think Hanbin-hyung hates me? For killing him?" Gyuvin asked softly.

"I don't think Hanbin-hyung has it in him to hate anybody."

A smile ghosted over Gyuvin's face. "I wouldn't blame him if he made an exception just this once."

Gyuvin pushed the gate open, walked down the paved stone walkway to the front door of the orphanage, and knocked three times. He looked back. Ricky had retreated from the front gate, into the shadow of some trees at the other side of the intersection. Gyuvin knew that Ricky was giving him privacy, for whatever he had to say to Hanbin.

The door opened after a harrowing minute of waiting. "I'm so sorry for the wait," the person behind the door said, sounding a little breathless. "One of the children hit his head on the wall and was screaming his lungs out-"

Gyuvin looked up. It seemed so unfamiliar to see Hanbin in colors other than the golden robes of Meteor Court. His hair was different now, in a ponytail instead of the topknot he'd always worn, but looking at him almost made Gyuvin feel like he was back home and everything was okay.

"Gyuvin?" Hanbin's eyes were wide, like he'd seen a ghost.

"Hyung," Gyuvin answered softly, feeling his vision blur from the tears threatening to spill over. "It's me. I'm sorry for everything."

Hanbin brought him over to a quiet corner of the orphanage's backyard, under a willow tree that shook gently in the breeze. It was not the same as the ones back home and the ones that'd formed the suppression array at the Peak, no, this was a different type. But a willow tree was a willow tree, and he was comforted by the sight of it regardless.

"I planted it," Hanbin said, with a little pride in his voice. "Well, not really. I bought the tree and put it into the ground here."

"Hyung," Gyuvin started again. "I'm sorry. About everything. You must have known, right? That I was the one who dealt your killing blow."