•~○Cursed castle[NCT]○~•

~○°'

Chapter 14

The men stepped into the cave as if the darkness itself were tugging at their ankles.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the air thickened — heavier, hotter, and somehow… alive.
Every step felt like wading through tar. Their legs trembled, their breathing grew shallow, and the low hum of the earth beneath them sounded almost like a heart beating.

Nearly two weeks without proper food or sleep had already hollowed them out. Now, the cave seemed determined to strip them further — of warmth, of strength, of hope. Their powers were a constant, restless storm inside them, but unused for even a single day, their bodies began to reject the unfamiliar weight. A gnawing ache settled in their bones, the kind you can’t stretch away.

They tried to distract themselves, pointing toward odd shapes in the jagged walls, but the darkness devoured their words. Even the flicker of their own magic felt faint and muffled, like a candle trapped in glass.

Leeteuk’s voice broke through the oppressive silence.
"We rest here." His tone was calm but carried an edge, like he’d been holding this moment back.
He reached into his bag, fingers brushing something wrapped in cloth. "I’ve been saving this. A potion. It won’t give us much, but it’ll hold us together a while longer. I didn’t tell you earlier… didn’t want you clinging to the thought of it before we truly needed it."

Jeno, pale and hunched, managed a small breath of relief. "You’re a life saver… thank you." His voice was quiet, the kind of gratitude spoken between gasps.

---

Three days later

They were moving like ghosts.

Jisung’s voice cracked with exhaustion. "We’ve been walking for three days straight. Can’t we stop? Just… one day? Without searching?"
Mark didn’t even lift his head. "I don’t think my body can take this much without sleep. My magic feels like it’s eating me alive."

Leeteuk’s eyes didn’t waver from the tunnel ahead. "I know you’re tired. We all are. But the sooner we reach him, the sooner we save the angels… and the kingdom."

Kun’s jaw tightened. "We’re sorry about your lovers. We know what it feels like to lose someone you—" he glanced away, fury smoldering in his eyes, "—because of that disgusting thing walking on two legs."

Doyoung’s voice was like steel. "We do not stop. The longer we delay, the more he has time to… do whatever he wants to them."

Jeno finally looked up, and the defeat in his tone was enough to unsettle even the most hardened of them. "If we’re even a minute late, they could be gone already."

The thought hung in the air like smoke no one wanted to inhale.

---

Hours later, a flicker appeared in the distance.

Leeteuk froze, eyes locked on a faint, trembling glow. It pulsed red against the cavern wall — faint, but growing.
His voice was a whisper and a shout all at once. "We’re here."

Everyone turned, breath catching, hearts slamming against ribcages. The red light was hypnotic, dangerous, like staring into an ember that wanted to be a wildfire.

Leeteuk handed each of them a small glass bottle. "Drink."

The liquid slid over their tongues like molten copper — bitter, metallic, but laced with something intoxicating. This was stronger than before. Five times stronger. It burned in their veins like wildfire, making their fingers twitch and their eyes sharpen.

Leeteuk’s mouth curled in a grim line. "Don’t worry… he’s going down."

---

The slow, dragging march snapped into a run.
Boots slammed against stone, the echo bouncing violently off the cavern walls. Adrenaline cut through their fatigue, their breaths sharp and ragged.

The door loomed ahead — impossibly tall, ancient, and carved with symbols that seemed to shift if you looked too long. Without hesitation, they slammed it open.

And froze.

Jeno’s voice cracked. "J… Jaemin?"
The boy lay crumpled on the floor, bruised so badly his skin was a patchwork of violet and black. His eyes fluttered, lips trying to form a word that never came.

Mark stumbled forward, panic breaking through his exhaustion. "Hyuckie! Wake up!!"

A slow clap echoed from the shadows.

"They’ve been gone for an hour, princes. Welcome… make yourselves at home." Ten stepped forward, the smile on his face carved from cruelty itself.

Kun’s voice was a low growl. "You prick."

Ten’s gaze snapped toward him — and for the first time, his smirk faltered. "Kun?!" His shock was raw, as if seeing a ghost.

Doyoung stepped up beside Kun, his words sharp as a blade. "Hey, fucktard."

Ten’s expression darkened. "What are you two doing here…? This wasn’t part of my plan."

Leeteuk’s voice cut through the tension. "Give us back the angels before you regret ever breathing."

But Ten only chuckled — low, cold, and dangerous. "You didn’t let me finish. This wasn’t part of my plan… it was his."

From the doorway behind Ten, a shadow shifted.
A tall figure stepped into the light, hair falling in long, brown waves over his shoulders. His eyes burned an unnatural black, the kind of darkness that eats the stars.

Mark’s face went pale. "Johnny…??"