Ishihara // ATEEZ ✔

40 |1| Invitation

The tray of seven cups filled with tea crashes to the floor, the sound a mixture of liquid splashing and glass breaking, as San loses his grip on it. His hands shake as he advances forward, stepping on the broken glass, his boots crunching on them. The atmosphere turns dead silent, when moments ago they were having a conversation full of robustness, as the news is delivered to them by the butler. They are hoping that it is some kind of sick joke, but even as San grabs the butler's shoulders and shakes him hard, asking him whether what he heard was correct, it is clear that the news is nothing but the truth. The news hit them hard, and they are stunned, unsure on how they're supposed to react.

A few days ago, he was fine. A few days ago, he was alive and kicking, dancing like a maniac at the ball.

And today, they receive the news that Mingi is no longer with them.

They don't want to hear the details of his death, but they find themselves rooted to their spots, staying seated as the butler recounts the tragic way in which they found his body. Someone from town went to the forest to go hunting and got the shock of his life when he stumbled upon Mingi, whom he knew so well. Two arrows were found lodged into his torso - one passed right through his heart - and another lodged into his right forearm. Smashed golden mangoes were found near his body, and it could have meant that he had fallen from the tree. The only consolation they got was he looked peaceful, like his death was something that he had expected.

San and Wooyoung are already closing their ears, not wanting to hear anything further. Yeosang is already tearing up, Seonghwa looks furious, while Hongjoong slams his fist on the table. Only Yunho and Akira stay still, their faces not showing any reaction, because they know very well who would do this to him, and both of them are responsible for it. The general and lieutenant remain pensive until they hear the last part of the story.

"The... Lucida emblem is found in his hand."

Akira stands up abruptly, looking like she's about to dash off, but Seonghwa grabs her arm. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to kill her. I'm going to fucking kill her for doing that to Mingi!" They see her eyes, and they know she doesn't care about anything anymore. Her eyes only bear pure thirst for revenge, and that she will not let anyone stop her. "I don't care if she wants to kill me, but how dare she touch him? How dare she! Mingi has done nothing wrong, yet she's being a coward by going after him. Going after someone that doesn't even have a chance to fight back. I'm going to end her this instant." She hits the table, making it shake, before raking her hands through her hair in frustration.

"Let us... bury Mingi first," Wooyoung says weakly, his usual cheerful demeanour gone. So that was why he felt uneasy yesterday - why he kept looking at his blood and felt that there was something he should do. It was Mingi - he could have saved him, but he didn't know what was it that bothered him. Still, he doesn't cry, even when he feels his heart is being ripped roughly into pieces.

San collapses to the floor as he tries to stand up, with Hongjoong catching him in time. His body feels weak as he tries to digest every single word that has come out of the butler's mouth. His legs give way and he faints. Seonghwa picks him up and heaves him on his back. He turns to the others, "I'll make sure he gets some rest. And... we can prepare to..." he doesn't have the heart to say it because it still feels like a dream, "...bury Mingi."

---

Thunder roars throughout the whole kingdom, flashes of lightning pass before their eyes and rain pours down incessantly; it is as if the world is crying together with them. They don black attires as they march behind Mingi's casket, their faces grim as they trace the steps towards the cemetery. All of them don't bother to use umbrellas, letting themselves being soaked by the heavy rain. Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yeosang and San have been crying non-stop along the way, their tears masked by the rain hitting their faces. Wooyoung promises to himself that he won't cry, but this time he lets himself lose, so he let the tears fall along with the rain. Yunho and Akira's guilt overpower their sorrow. Along the way, their hands are only itching to grab their swords and getting their revenge this instant.