•~○Cursed castle[NCT]○~•

•°○▪︎

Chapter 15

The cave’s oppressive silence felt like a living thing — thick and suffocating, wrapping around them with invisible hands. The only sounds were the faint crackle of blackened flames licking at iron sconces, and the uneven breathing of six weary souls standing toe-to-toe with fate itself.

Eyes, sharp and unblinking, pierced the dim light — burning embers of hatred, confusion, and something rawer: betrayal.

Mark’s voice shattered the silence, low and trembling with disbelief.
“I can’t believe you would do this.”

Ten leaned back against the cold stone wall, a cruel grin twisting his lips, but his eyes were hard, storm-dark and unyielding.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared? This… this was my masterpiece. My final move.”

Jeno’s voice was sharp, cutting like shattered glass.
“You’re sick.”

A flicker of amusement—or was it pain?—crossed Ten’s face.
“I want what I want. I will do anything for it.”

Jisung’s demand was a blade forged from desperation.
“Give us back the angels.”

Ten’s laugh was bitter, echoing unnervingly through the cavern.
“Not so fast, little one.”

Jisung’s stare hardened.
“Who’s the little one here?”

With a roar that shook dust from the ceiling, Ten thundered, “SHUT IT! I RULE HERE!”
His voice was a tempest, shattering the fragile air. “There are six of you — six — and I command an entire underground army ready to crush you to ash.”

Jeno, voice ice-cold, met him without flinching.
“What do you want?”

Ten straightened, his eyes ablaze with ambition.
“The throne of Heaven.”

The words hung like a guillotine, waiting to fall.

Mark’s disbelief was palpable.
“Excuse me?”

From the gloom stepped Johnny, quiet and calculated. His eyes gleamed with something sharper than steel.
“You heard him. Rule Heaven, or lose your angels.”

Jeno’s reply was as cold and final as a tombstone.
“Not happening.”

Ten gestured to the three broken angels lying on the ground, their breaths shallow, faces pale and bruised.
“Look at them. They could die any moment.”

Mark growled, fury coiling in his chest.
“Let them go. Now.”

Johnny’s smirk curled like a serpent.
“You don’t understand. You can’t save them. You failed. Either they die… or Heaven is ours.”

Kun’s voice cut through the tension, steady and commanding.
“We talk. Now. Chittaphon.”

Doyoung tossed in a quiet jab, eyes locked on Ten.
“Didn’t think you had a soft spot.”

Ten snarled, eyes narrowing dangerously.
“Excuse me?”

Kun pressed on, unflinching.
“Thought you were heartless.”

Ten’s rage cracked the silence.
“What are you on about?”

Doyoung spat words sharp as daggers.
“He doesn doesn’t even love you.”

The room froze. Ten’s fury broke, replaced by a flicker of something else — shock? Hurt?

“What?” he snarled, voice cracking like a whip.

Kun: “You may have power here… but he doesn’t.”

Suddenly, in a blur of movement, Jeno was behind Johnny, dagger flashing cold silver beneath his chin.

His voice, calm but deadly, sliced through the tension.
“One wrong move, and he’s gone. Would you like that?”

Ten didn’t even glance.
“Kill him, for all I care.”

Jeno’s blade pressed a whisper against Johnny’s throat, just enough to draw a bead of blood.

The dagger trembled — a slow, deliberate motion, almost intimate.

Then — Ten exploded.
“NO! DON’T!”

His shout tore through the room, a raw, ragged plea, the mask of cruelty cracking wide.

Johnny’s eyes locked with Ten’s — frozen, unblinking. The others watched, stunned, as the impossible unfolded:

Ten, the merciless Devil, trembled with something no one had expected.

“Johnny… I’ve known you longer than I can count. Since before I first died. Even after dying over and over… I still saw you.”

His voice broke, thick with something unspoken,
“I fell in love with you. And if you think I’d let you die so I could rule a world… when I already rule another… you’re wrong.”

Silence swallowed the room.

Johnny: “You’re crazy.”

Ten: “Admit it. You love me, too. Without you… this plan is worthless.”

The five stared at each other, confusion and shock mingling in their eyes.

Kun: (quiet, steady)
“Ten… you want a normal life. Your reign here is your kingdom. You can have anything, anyone.”

Doyoung: “I gave up my love to rule the sea. I won’t lie, I miss the past. He still visits, but worlds change us. Don’t lose yourself chasing what can’t last.”

Ten’s gaze dropped, shadows swallowing his features. His pride cracked open like fragile glass.

Slowly, he looked up again.
“Johnny… will you rule Hell with me? I want no one but you.”

Johnny’s smile was a secret, small and fierce. He nodded.

They fell into each other’s arms, a violent collision of passion and desperation.

The others broke into hesitant applause — relief, disbelief, and a glimmer of hope tangled in the sound.

Ten: (soft, regretful)
“Mark. Jeno. Jisung… I’m sorry. For the chaos. The fear.”
He gestured to the angels, their chests rising and falling faintly.
“Take care of them. I wasn’t easy on them.”

Johnny: “I’m sorry for the lies. Tell them whatever story you want.”

Mark: “We won’t forget. But if we did, we’d lose ourselves.”

Johnny’s grin was sly, almost sad.
“Thank you.”

As the group parted, shadows seemed to whisper behind them — restless hellhounds prowled unseen, their glowing eyes piercing the dark.

Leeteuk’s hand brushed his blade, silent and watchful, his jaw clenched tight. He carried a storm inside — one waiting for the right moment to break loose.

The Devil’s throne room dimmed, the flames guttering low, leaving behind a scent of burnt dreams and a secret no one could forget.