Episode 13

Min Yong-sun went back to the Grand Circle and saw that all battles have ended in favor of the Elites. All that was left was a commotion amongst the panicked and shaken-up town’s people as medics and abled warriors aided the injured and the wounded with the utmost urgency.

“Yong-sun!”

Kim Seung So glided across the circle and gracefully landed on the ground, a few feet away from the person called. The Angel had his Wings retract into his back with a faint glow and quickly walked up to Yong-sun.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Seungso asked, clearly worried.

“I’m alright. Go tend to the others,” Yong-sun waved his hand dismissively.

Seungso glared at what he saw and quickly gripped Yong-sun’s left wrist, barely moving it to prove a point. But it was enough for Yong-sun to wince and show pain in his usually passive face.

“Don’t worry. All the seriously wounded are already being attended to,” Seungso assured.

“Please take a seat and I’ll check up on that nasty wound on your arm.”

Yong-sun sighed and dragged himself to some crates on the side of some shop. He detached his broadsword form his back and placed it beside him to be more comfortable.

As Seungso ripped the fabric off and proceeded to treating his wound, Yong-sun looked over the brunette’s shoulder to see if he can locate Jihoon amongst the crowd. But he still didn’t see the stable boy.

“You seem out of it,” Seungso chatted as he took out a vial from his kit, that contained a blue substance, a remedy for wounds that he has been working on.

“You didn’t hit your head, did you?” Seungso asked and poured its contents on the large cut.

“I’m not as careless as Hwanmin, hyung,” Yong-sun scoffed at the reference towards a rather stupid yet entertaining memory, after he winced at the cool substance taking effect against the burning sensation of pain.

“Then what is it?”

“I just—Seung-so, have you checked up on Jihoon?”

Yong-sun finally and awkwardly asked as Seungso wrapped a bandage around the fresh but now closed wound.

“Park Ji Hoon?”

Seungso stood up whilst he disinfected his hands with a cloth. He was taken aback that the Demon who despises Humans, yet is indifferent at the same time towards that kind, was asking about a Human.

“No, I have not,” Seungso answered then came to a realization as to why Yong-sun would even ask about the boy.

“Why? Was he here? Was he—Is he hurt?”

Seungso fired questions at the Demon. But in response, Yong-sun simply rolled his eyes at how Seungso becomes frantic and worry about anyone as long as it involves a person’s health and wellbeing.

“He’s alive,” Yong-sun vaguely clarified and stood up, placing his broadsword at its place on his back.

“But do you know anyone who could’ve seen that boy though?” Yong-sun inquired.

Seungso looked around the site and saw Jun Hwan Min talking to the Second Elite’s Captain, Kim Nam-kyu, whilst the two of them walked down the main alleyway’s stairs then into the town’s circle grounds.

“Hwanmin!” Seungso motioned for the Werewolf after he saw Hwanmin parting ways with the captain.

“Hwanmin ran a perimeter check for more potential Rogues and for people who needs medical attention around the capitol. So, he must have seen Jihoon at some point,” Seungso explained in response to Yong-sun’s questioning gaze when he called for the Werewolf.

“Have you seen Park Ji Hoon?” Yong-sun asked once Hwanmin got to them and greeted him and Seungso.

“Park Ji—the stable boy?” Hwanmin asked and raised an eyebrow at Yong-sun before looking at Seungso who only shrugged in question too.

“The Human?”

“Him,” Yong-sun answered, patience wearing thin.

“You—You’re looking for a Human?” Hwanmin clarified.

“Yes,” Yong-sun glared, now irritated.

“You’re not going to kill him, are you?” Hwanmin joked.

“Hwanmin,” Yong-sun’s eyes turned red for a moment, making the joking Werewolf flinch ever so slightly.

“Yeah, I just saw him before the captain and I got back here. Kyu-hyung told me Jihoon volunteered to go back to the nearest patrol post and round up some rides for us and the rest of the injured. So that we can go back to the institute for further treatment as soon as possible. He’s on his way to the open stables as we speak.”

Although, I must say. That boy looked out of it though. Kyu-hyung noticed he was limping and I smelled blood on him before he rushed to leave,” Hwanmin added and missed how Seungso and Yong-sun tensed up.

The Demon and the Werewolf suddenly found themselves stumbling forward after the back of their heads were smacked by the Angel in between them. The two looked back to see an enraged medic, fiercely glaring at them.

“Yah! Jihoon’s clearly hurt and you still let him go? I can’t believe you and Nam-kyu!” Seungso screeched and glared at Hwanmin who jumped and dodged another oncoming slap to the arm.

“I’m so sorry, So-hyung!” Hwanmin suddenly ran off to Nam-kyu, to avoid getting reprimanded even more.

“And you—I asked you earlier if he was hurt! Him being alive doesn’t mean he isn’t hurt, you idiot!”

Seungso held himself back from smacking the latter since he knew and saw for a fact that Yong-sun was hurt himself. He took a deep breath and was about to walk away to find the stable boy himself when one of their youngest Elite came rushing to the Grand Circle with a bloodied body in his arms.

“So-hyung!”

Seungso’s eyes zoned down to the body Jeon Jun Hyun held: an unconscious and severely wounded Kim Tae Hyeon.

The Angel took a quick step towards the Junhyun to immediately tend to Taehyeon since he saw that the seals on the latter’s wounds were already breaking, hence the bleeding. But Seungso stopped once he realized that there’s another person walking about the capitol with a possible wound or injury. As a medic, he knew who to prioritize at that instant, all the while he knew that he couldn't just disregard the other.

“Take this to Jihoon,” Seungso ordered and quickly placed a vial on the palm of Yong-sun’s hand along with a roll of bandage and started to walk away from the latter.

“Wait—”

“Now, Yong-sun,” Seungso stressed with a quick and hard glance back, before he left the Demon to do what was a must at that instant.

Yong-sun gripped the vial and rushed to the secluded part of the town where the common open stables were located. He got down the stairs of an alleyway he took and saw that the place was nearly empty except for a certain Human struggling to walk to get to the stallions at the corner of the pen.

“Yah. Park Ji Hoon.”

The stable boy tensed up and felt himself sweat even more when he turned to see the Elite taking long strides towards him.

“Min Yong-sun—sir,” Jihoon slightly bowed, trying not to flinch and kept his arms on his side.

Yon-sun narrowed his eyes at Jihoon’s rather stiff posture and pale complexion.

“Are you hurt?” Yong-sun cut to the chase and asked in his usual monotonous tone as he fiddled with the small vile in his pocket.

“No,” Jihoon answered too quickly.

“I—I meant, no, sir. I’m okay. If that is all, I really have to go now to—”

Yong-sun suddenly invaded Jihoon’s personal space and backed up the Human against the wooden ledges. The latter didn’t protest because the warrior made his actions quick that made the stable boy too shock to process what was happening.

With barely a foot between them, Yong-sun pushed Jihoon’s vest to the side and lifted the red stained shirt up.

“Fucking hell.”

Yong-sun’s breath hitched as did Jihoon’s when both saw the wound that went from the boy’s front hip and ended just on the right side of the body. From the looks of it, the Rogue that Jihoon battled with got him good because the wound was somewhat deep.

“And you dare lie that you’re okay? Are you fucking kidding—”

“I—I’m sorry! I didn’t—I can take care of myself. I just didn’t want anyone to see me like this—please move—"

“Shut up.”

Jihoon didn’t get to protest further when Yong-sun suddenly poured the contents of the vial Seungso gave him earlier.

Tears pricked Jihoon’s eyes from the immense pain brought about by the burning sensation on the wound. He placed the back of his hand against his mouth to conceal a whimper. He didn’t want to sound pitiful now that he definitely looked as such.

Examining the wound, Yong-sun got impatient for the cut to close up. He then realized that the blue substance wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding. With that, he placed a hand over the wound and decided to try a sealing on a Human.

“For the time being, enable healing, with this sealing.”

Jihoon’s body couldn’t help but lurch forward in discomfort and pain of having some spell being applied to his mundane being.

Yong-sun badly tensed up at the close proximity when Jihoon leaned his head against the Demon’s shoulder whilst the Human’s small hand gripped the shirt of the other. Yong-sun initial reaction was to push off Jihoon as his eyes turned red in alarm and spark of hatred.

But once a weak sob broke out from the younger boy, Yong-sun inwardly cursed at himself, held back from doing anything rash, and let Jihoon lean on him for support. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes to let his eyes change back to its normal brown color.

“It’s only fair I see you in this pathetic state,” Yong-sun indifferently commented whilst he, surprisingly gently, made Jihoon lean back on the ledge so that he can finish up.

“You did see me almost get killed by that Rogue,” Yong-sun grumbled.

The warrior proceeded to wrap the bandage around the boy’s hips and lower stomach. The stable boy’s sobs turned into little sniffs once he felt that pain was somehow subsiding to a bearable one. He stood up properly and quickly wiped the tears that fell down his reddened yet cold cheeks.

“What you did earlier,” Yong-sun started.

Jihoon looked up to Yong-sun but found the latter fully concentrated on securing the bandage around his wound. Yong-sun had no choice but to step closer as he need to move his hands behind the boy to get the bandage around. Once the warrior was closer to the stable boy he stared at younger’s eyes and continued:

“It was rather stupid move, for a Human.”

Jihoon resisted the urge to glower at the older. He let out a shaky and disappointed sigh before he looked down, not wanting the other to see tears blurring his eyes.

“Then again,” Yong-sun looked to the side after he fastened the bandage to secure the seal on the wound for now.

“It was brave of you to take the risk despite—”

Yong-sun stopped himself. Truth be told, he was about to acknowledge the fact that it was brave of Jihoon to risk his life for someone who only casted him and his potential aside. He was about to commend the other for standing his ground against the Rogue and for actually lasting in battle. But decided not to.

“Despite knowing almost nothing,” Yong-sun ended indifferently the last second.

Jihoon let out a small huff and puffed one of his cheeks. He almost thought that the warrior was going to finally acknowledge his potential. In the end, Jihoon simply nodded and just thought that at least, he did something worthwhile in his perspective: saving someone.

“Right,” Jihoon whispered and smiled in defeat; quickly wiping a tear as if it was nothing.

Seeing that expression along with hearing that kind of response somehow irked Yong-sun. He hated the feeling on his stomach as he stared down at the boy, unknowingly examining Jihoon from head to toe, from his clothes to his build and mannerism. He scoffed and stepped away from the Human.

“Get back to the Grand Circle. Have Seungso check up on that,” Yong-sun ordered as he got on the stallion of Jihoon before the latter could even take a step to leave.

“But I have to—”

“Are you seriously going defy me right now?” Yong-sun looked down at Jihoon with a glare.

“No, hyung—I mean sir. No, sir,” Jihoon quickly shook his head and then looked down, feeling even smaller now that he was being stared down.

“A warrior does not hesitate to do as they’re told. Orders from the superiors are absolute.”

Jihoon blinked his big bright emerald eyes that clearly displayed shock once he caught on to the implication of Yong-sun stating one of the codes of a warrior in the Military Institute of Supremus Imperium.

“Does that mean—”

“I’ll be expecting you in training, Park Ji Hoon.”