•~○Cursed castle[NCT]○~•

'~°●•

Chapter 12

The walls of the devil's chamber shuddered as Ten's rage exploded.
"GET. OUT!" His voice was not a shout but a roar that seemed to peel the skin from the air, rattling the obsidian columns and sending hellfire lanterns swaying violently on their chains.

A chair slammed into the wall with a splintering crack, books burst into flames where they landed, and shards of black glass skittered across the floor. The heat rose, thick and oppressive, choking the air until it clung to lungs like molten tar.

"Sir-" Hendery began, but the word barely left his mouth before Ten's head snapped toward him, eyes glowing like twin brands fresh from the forge.

"I said... GET OUT." The final word slithered low, dangerous, almost more venom than sound. The servant didn't wait for a second warning-he bowed his head and retreated into the shadows, the click of the door sealing the silence behind him.

The silence didn't last long.
From their chains, the three angels sat, watching him. Smirks curled at the edges of their lips-not mocking, but burning with quiet defiance.

Hyuck tilted his head, voice like a knife slipping under armor. "Told you they were gonna save us."

Ten's laugh was sharp and humorless, though just a fraction too quick-like he wanted to drown out the thought before it took root. "Shut it."

"Good always beats evil," Jaemin said, his tone light, almost taunting.

Ten's gaze swung to him, narrowing. "Ey, cotton candy. No one asked." He leaned forward in his throne, shadows pooling like ink at his feet. "And as I said-" a grin cut his face in two, "that's fairytale trash. You're not walking out of here without blood, and those three 'angels' you worship? They're nothing against me."

Chenle cocked his head. "You're very positive for the devil."

"I'm not positive," Ten purred, standing now, pacing like a predator in a cage. "I just know my power. Your little princes are weak. Sweet little boys in gold crowns, that's all."
But his pacing didn't stop after the words should have landed. One hand flexed against his side, fingers tapping-restless, as though a thought gnawed at him.

Jaemin's eyes flared. "Talk about my man like that again, and it'll be the last thing you say." He pushed against his chains, muscles straining, the iron links creaking under the force. But they held.

Ten chuckled, low and cruel, but his gaze flickered once-too fast to name-toward the chamber doors, as though expecting someone. "What are you gonna do, princey? Call Jeno? Have him just pop down here, stab me through the heart?" He tapped his own chest with two fingers. "Newsflash, sweetheart-I'm already dead."

Hyuck spat, the bitterness in his voice cutting the heat. "Oh, trust us. You'll be over."

Ten tilted his head, lips curling into a mock pout. "Okay, little one. Okay." The sarcasm dripped like poison, but his voice wavered ever so slightly on the second okay, as if tasting a word he didn't believe in.

He turned away from them, letting his back show-a calculated display of arrogance-but his shoulders were tight, drawn higher than usual. He lowered himself back into his throne, one clawed hand rubbing slow circles at his temples.

The door creaked open again. Hendery entered quietly, the faintest clink of his boots against the black marble. The air shifted as he crossed the room, the scent of brimstone and old parchment following him.

"Here, sir. Calm down." He extended a glass of water, the clear liquid trembling in its vessel as if it feared where it was.

Ten took it, fingers curling lazily around the cup. "Thank you."

"Sir... may I ask what happened?" Hendery's voice was soft, careful, like someone stepping across thin ice.

"They found my cave." Ten's voice dipped low, the words almost a growl. "Impossible. That place doesn't exist unless I will it. And yet... they were there. Which means they are closer to taking these three back. And my plan-" he let the pause stretch, dangerous "-is failing."

At the word failing, Jaemin's smirk deepened. Hyuck's eyes flickered toward Chenle. It was a small exchange, but Ten's jaw clenched as if he'd noticed it.

Hendery didn't move. The only sound was the slow, deliberate gulp Ten took from the glass-though his grip was tighter than before, a faint crack forming in the cup's rim.

"Sir... do you want me to stop them?"

"No." The word was sharp, absolute. But his eyes slid away from Hendery when he said it. "We will not show weakness. If one of my servants appears, they'll know something is wrong. No, Hendery..." Ten's smile was slow, deliberate, dangerous-but his foot tapped once against the marble before stilling. "We wait. We let them believe they are winning. And then we tear it from them."

Hendery nodded once, stepping back. "Understood."

"You may leave."

The door shut again, and the chamber seemed to shrink around the angels. Ten set the glass down with an almost delicate click, his gaze shifting back toward his prisoners.

"Now," he said, leaning forward, eyes glinting like blades, "what about that VIP entrance to Heaven, hmm? Still not giving in?"

They said nothing. Their silence was a blade of its own.

"How cute," Ten whispered.

The air changed. The shadows writhed, the heat spiked, and the angels' bodies arched as pain ripped through them-chains biting into skin, the sound of metal creaking under their weight. Their cries echoed through the chamber, and somewhere deep within Hell, the kingdom seemed to pulse in time with their agony.

Ten leaned back in his throne, smiling.
But his gaze slid once more to the closed door, as though expecting-fearing-it to open.