"ARE YOU SURE YOU safely placed Mark's body at the library?" Sunggyu asked as he looked at Taeil and Suho who were assigned with that task.

     "Yeah, we stole the clothes inside his locker, burned his old clothes, and even wore gloves like what Jiyong instructed," Taeil replied.

     Jiyong's hands were inside his pockets. He puts the other one out to take off his headset, and then he said, "Well if you want to clear all the evidence then we need to take drastic measures. Those Arcs won't stop until they could prove that we took him."

     Minhyuk then went in between them and said, "Don't worry. Jackson tortured and programmed Mark's head to our liking. It's impossible that Mark would blame everything on us, right Jackson?"

     The Demons stopped walking and looked back at Jackson, but Jackson remained quiet. He remembered his memory with Mark. Even though he did all the torture, the memory was still unpleasant. He thought that he was going insane.

     "Jackson! We're on earth now. don't tell me you're still mentally in hell," Taeil told his best friend.

     Jackson finally snapped out of it as he realized his dear friend Taeil was now standing right in front of him.

     "Oh, yeah," Jackson simply replied.

     The Demons looked at each other and brushed the thought away so they could just change the subject.

     "Anyway, we shouldn't be too confident. Mark might be smarter than we thought. Our plan worked perfectly, but karma is still a bitch, remember that," Sunggyu explained, and everyone agreed to what their leader had said.

    "By the way, where the hell is Kharon? We still need to fetch Hyunseung," Taeil asked.

     The Demons called for their mentor, Kharon the Third, AKA the demon who drags the soul to hell. The sons stopped in front of the stop sign where they told Kharon to meet up with them. 

     "So, if Kharon does this perfectly, our plan will be a success," Suho elaborated.

     Sunggyu took a bottle of water out of his bag and took a sip, "Don't worry, Kharon is as strong us our fathers. We don't need to worry about anything."

     The sons continued waiting for their guardian slash mentor arrive. Sunggyu, who finished his bottle of water, threw the empty bottle to the trash bin. But the bottle stopped in the air just inches away from the mouth of the bin, making everyone realize that everything else stopped, which only meant that Kharon had finally arrived.

     "There he is," Minhyuk stated as he pointed at a phoenix flying above them.

     The phoenix dropped and transformed into a human figure. And there it was, Kharon, standing in front of the sons while wearing his HAU priest uniform.

     "Looking good mentor," Jiyong joked around, but Kharon only looked serious.

     "I've heard about your plans and I'm quite impressed. I thought the 'fucking-each-other' part was a really stupid move, but I'm seeing progress here. Though I'm not here to shower the six of you with praises. I'm here because of a favor you're asking me. I'm actually in a hurry because a prison bus got into an accident and 24 of the prisoners died. I need to cross them to the rivers of fire but I had to reschedule it because of this favor of yours," Kharon stated, making the sons look at each other.

      Jackson, without looking at Kharon, asked, "Then why the hell did you agree on it anyway?"

     "It's because your sons of my fucking bosses, you got that big guy? And I wouldn't even be sticking around with you and helping you out if not for that reason," Kharon explained, making Jackson smirk because he wasn't expecting him to explain it at all.

     "So, what's the favor my prince Sunggyu?" Kharon asked as he looked at the scary leader.

     Sunggyu walked to his floating bottle and forcefully shoved it inside the trash bin, "We want you to manipulate Mark. This last manipulation will be the finishing touches on our plan. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

     "So, what do you actually want me to do?" Kharon asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     "Let Mark hear those words. We don't care if you have to shove it in his ear or let someone else say it, but we want him to hear it no matter what," Sunggyu explained further.

     Kharon paused for a few seconds and answered, "Well, I guess I can do that."

     Sunggyu smiled and thanked Kharon before looking back at his brothers, "Well brothers, we still need to fetch the prince of lust. It has been days since we've last seen him. Kharon, wanna come with us?"

     "I don't think it's going to be a great idea if the students see us walking together," Kharon answered.

     "Well, you have a point there. Well, see you I guess. And thanks again," Sunggyu stated, and then he started walking away, the sons following behind him.

    Kharon was getting ready to leave, but Jackson stopped and said, "Hey guys, I'll follow you there. I just need to ask some more questions."

     Sunggyu nodded and the five proceeded to Hyunseung's house. Jackson ran to Kharon who was ready to start time again. He stopped when he saw the prince of envy, and then he looked at him with furrowed brows.

     "I have a question," Jackson stated.

     "Well obviously," Kharon said back in between chuckles. But he stopped when he saw that Jackson's face didn't even show any hint of amusement. So Kharon cleared his throat and asked, "Okay, what is it?" 

     "Because of what you told us, we did this plan. You told us that if an angel betrays his or her god, the angel will slowly turn into a black angel and eventually die. And when he dies, he's brought to neither hell nor heaven. Instead, they will be brought to a black abyss. We picked Mark because we knew that he had the weakest mental capacity, but it will be a risk because his father is the angel of justice and harmony, so everyone decided to use me because I could manipulate and torture him without really touching him-"

     Kharon scratched the back of his head and stopped Jackson, "Wait. Are you sure you're going to ask me a question, or are you telling me the summary of your plan?"

     Jackson sighed and finally asked, "What will redo this? I mean, there must be something to stop this right? You didn't tell us that part."

     "To stop the black angel transformation? Well, there is only one way so that an angel could return to his former glory," Kharon answered, shocking Jackson since he didn't expect that there actually was a way to stop it.

     "What is it then?" Jackson asked. He wanted to sound calm so Kharon could explain this to him carefully. But Jackson wasn't even really sure why he wanted to know so badly. Saving Mark, if it really happened, wasn't even part of his plans.

     "Well, it's simple. Mark can return back if he reconciles with his brothers and returns his faith to their god. But of course, a betrayer going back to his clan won't be easy, especially in Mark's part. First, he's not just an angel. He's one of the princes of Heaven, same as you guys, your princes of Hell. He chose you over them, so whether he goes back, he still needs to leave with your consent. But of course, Sunggyu won't allow that. Second, it's going to be hard to convince him to return because you manipulated him and programmed his head to hate his brothers. The only way to remove the manipulation is to make him fall in love with one of you guys," Kharon finally explained.

     "Make him fall in love with one of you guys," the words repeated inside Jackson's head.

     "W-What?" asked Jackson in total shock.

     "I can't fully explain it, but the books say that connections between a demon and an angel can be another form of healing or cure. Like Hyunseung and Yong Junhyung. When they had sex, they did the connection, making them immune to their powers. Well, only the normal powers of an angel and demon (Like fire and lighting, transforming the other into a mindless zombie and such) are included...

     Mark falling in love with any of you will slowly remove everything that you programmed him, like erasing a virus inside a corrupted computer. Once the manipulation is slowly fading, Mark will finally start thinking. His ability of thinking was removed because of what you guys did to him, so anger and pain are controlling his mind. But when he starts thinking, he'll realize and know that going back to his brothers is the best decision. But then again, nothing will happen if even one of your brothers doesn't want him to. So if he falls in love, it won't really save him, but it will only make the transformation process slower,"  Kharon explained further, and Jackson was mentally trying to remember everything that he was telling him.

     "Meaning?" Jackson asked, hoping for an elaboration.

     Kharon was confused about why Jackson was suddenly interested in this, but he brushed the thought away and answered his question again, "The transformation really doesn't have a certain date. It only depends on the guy who's suffering the transformation. But for example, it might take a full week, but when he's in love, then the process might be three to four weeks. Do you get it now?" Kharon explained, still confused about why Jackson was asking about it. But he was still answering every question even though he was confused.

     "Yeah, thanks Kharon," Jackson finally stated.

     "Why did you ask anyway Jackson? It's strange for you to be asking me something like that," Kharon asked back.

      Jackson was thinking of a logical answer, and when he did, he quickly said, "I just wanted to make sure everything is going to be perfect. Don't want our efforts to be wasted right?"

     "I see. Good call," Kharon stated as he patted Jackson's back. He was about to leave but then he suddenly turned back around and shouted, "Just don't make him fall in love with any of you, got it?"

     Jackson replied with a nod, and Kharon started time and finally left the scene. As Jackson stared at Kharon's back, he gulped loudly. Will this be okay if he won't tell this small information to his brother?

PRESENT TIME

   Jackson ignored Mark's question. Instead, he held Mark's shoulder tightly and told him, "Mark...fall in love with me."

     The rain grew stronger. Mark froze in place as if he paralyzed himself. "Fall in love with me" was a dangerous request coming from a demon. Especially when he knew that Junhyung did the same trick with Hyunseung.

     "What are you even saying?" Mark asked, even more confused on the situation.

     Jackson looked at Mark again and said instead, "Please. Fall in love with me."

     "Falling in love with a demon...will lessen your death. At least this is the only thing I could do for you Mark," Jackson thought as he looked at Mark who was still shocked on Jackson's sudden request.

     "Wang, are you high right now?" Mark asked instead.

     Jackson squeezed Mark's shoulders tighter and told him with a serious tone, "This is the only way that I could think of."

     Mark didn't know what to say. He just continued to stare at Jackson with confusion and shock.     

     "Let me ease your pain, Mark. I promise everything will work out if you only fall in love with me," Jackson continued to explain, but Mark finally had the strength to push him away.

     "What are you talking about? If you're thinking that the angels would do something bad to me then you're wrong. They're citizens of heaven. They can't hurt me whether I betray them or not," Mark explained, but Jackson aggressively scratched his hair in frustration and tried to explain again, "You don't understand me! If you don't do this you're going to-"

     Jackson immediately stopped when he realized that he was about to tell Mark their whole plan just like that. So Jackson quickly took a step back, but Mark went closer to him. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "I'm going to what?"

     Jackson gulped loudly and started making false stories. Telling Mark it was nothing would only make him more curious, so telling him something might just work.

     "You turned your backs on your own clan. Which means you're going to turn into a black angel," Jackson finally revealed.

     "Huh?" Mark confusingly asked.

     "This transformation will make you weak and will delete all your angel powers. A-and if you think that being a black angel is a good thing then your wrong. When a black angel dies..."

     Jackson stopped again. When he said the word die, his heart started aching for some reason. But he gathered his strength and continued with his lie, "When a black angel dies, he doesn't go to heaven nor hell. You'll be brought to a black abyss of nothingness. You'll be awake but your eyes will see nothing but darkness. Falling in love with a demon can lessen your-"

     Mark surprisingly cuts Jackson off and said, "So? I think that's even better than going to hell or heaven. You don't need to worry about me prince of envy. I can handle living alone in a world of darkness. I've been through a lot. Living at a dark abyss won't even be a problem to me anymore", Mark explained, then he gave a weak smile after.

     When Mark smiled, it only made Jackson hurt more. While he was staring back at Mark, the rain started to become stronger. Mark was about to turn around and walk away, but Jackson quickly grabbed his hand and slapped Mark on the right cheek.

     "How could you say something like that so easily?!" Jackson suddenly shouted, making Mark flustered.

     Mark lowered his head and didn't answer. So Jackson grabbed Mark's hand and told him, "I don't know if I'm going crazy or if I'm turning into another Junhyung, but I can't stand seeing you like this," Jackson loudly said so Mark could hear it through the loud raindrops.

    With those words alone, Mark slowly lifts his head up to face him again.

    "I can't stop thinking about you after that day. I can't think, and I feel guilty all the time when I remember the things that I've done to you. The first time I met you is when you were trying to steal my ring, I knew that your terrified face won't be easily erased in my mind because you weren't terrified of me...you were actually terrified of failing the mission that your brothers and fathers had given you," Jackson explained, then he lets go of Mark's hand.

     Mark still continued to look at Jackson confusingly. But Jackson was confused himself. Why was he suddenly saying these things? Why was he so affected by an angel that he barely even knew?

     Jackson clenched his fist, then, he finally lost it, "What did you do to me?! Is this some kind of revenge?! I want to help you and I can't stand seeing you get hurt when all your Arcs wanted to do was kill us!" he shouted at Mark, making Mark flinch.

     Jackson fell into his knees. He was bowing in front of Mark.

     "I don't want to feel like this anymore. I don't want to betray my brothers like this," Jackson stated, but it sounded more like he was begging. Mark didn't know why this was suddenly happening. Did Jackson Wang, the son of Leviathan, ruler of the realm Envy, and the 2nd strongest son, just have a mental breakdown in front of him?

     Mark went closer to Jackson. He kneeled down so he could be in the same level as him. Then he lifted his hand and was about to touch Jackson, but he hesitated. Mark sighed and made up his mind so he held Jackson's chin and lifted it up so he could face him. But when he saw Jackson's face, Mark fell back.

     Jackson was actually crying blood.

     "I can't do this anymore. Please, make it stop," Jackson stated as he was banging his chest with his fist. 

     Mark slowly stood up. He started to feel pity over Jackson. The image of Jackson torturing him was fading away when he saw him look like that. Mark was confused even more. Why was this demon so worried about him being brought to the black abyss? He didn't know what to say, so instead, he grabbed Jackson and draped his arms around Jackson's neck so he could hug him.

     "I didn't know you were this sensitive," Mark said in between chuckles. "You know your brothers won't like it if they see you acting weak over me. I know what you're feeling. It's pure guilt. And I pretty much know that demons don't feel guilty at all, that's why you're in pain."

     Jackson didn't say anything and continued staring at Mark's eyes.

     "I forgive you, so you don't need to act like that." Mark stated. Then he pulled his right hand away and wiped the bloodstains on Jackson's cheeks. He was about to break free from the hug when he suddenly felt Jackson hug him back on the waist, but even tighter than his hold.

     "Well this is getting weird," Mark thought to himself, but he didn't push Jackson away.

     The rain kept on pouring, but the two remained still, not knowing that someone was watching them from behind the door.

*****

The rain stopped, but Mark and Jackson were already soaking wet. The two were at the locker room. Mark was sitting far away from Jackson, and the two didn't say a word to each other. Maybe they were still too embarrassed about what happened earlier.

     "You can change your clothes you know," Mark suggested, but Jackson didn't reply. It's funny because Mark was the stubborn one earlier, but now it's the other way around.

     "If you want I can leave," Mark stated. He was about to stand up but Jackson spoke, "Don't. Just stay here."

     Mark took a deep breath and slowly sat back down on the bench. The two still didn't say anything and the whole room was filled with silence and awkwardness. But the silence broke when Jackson's phone rang. Jackson took his phone out and answered it, "Hello?"

    "Jackson Wang, where the hell are you?!" Sunggyu shouted on the other line. It was so loud that Jackson had to move his ear away from the phone.

     "I'm in the locker room with Mark, why?" Jackson answered, then Mark's attention shifted to him like he wanted to know what they were talking about.

     "Don't come out there until we arrive. You understand that asshole?!"

     "What's your problem anyway? What's going on?" Jackson asked, annoyed since Sunggyu was getting mad at him for no reason.

     "What's going on?! We left you guys at the rooftop and you start hugging each other?! Someone took a fucking picture! You're all over the school's fucking headline!" Sunggyu angrily answered, causing Jackson to widen his eyes from shock.

     "W-what? That can't be. We were-"

     "Well, it's fucking happening right now. We're going over there. Hyunseung and Minhyuk are already talking to Trey so he could stop releasing those articles." Sunggyu explained.

     Jackson didn't say anything else so Sunggyu continued, "Why do you guys always get caught up with those fucking angel!" Then he hanged up. 

     Jackson placed his phone down and looked at Mark who was also looking directly at him with a curious expression.

     "What's going on? Is it my brothers again?" Mark asked, referring to the Arcs.

    Jackson didn't answer but sighed instead. He took his phone once more and went to their university site to make sure Sunggyu wasn't fooling around with him. But when he went to the site, the first thing you'd already see was Mark and Jackson hugging each other. The title of the article was, "Forbidden love under the rain".

     Seriously, Trey and his newspaper team move fast as shit.

     He wanted to throw his phone away on the total embarrassment that he did to himself and to his brothers. But he wanted to know more. So he clicked the link and waited for it to load. But when it did, it said that the article was an error. Looks like Hyunseung and Minhyuk already talked things though with Trey, or maybe, beaten the crap out of him.

     Well, it may be gone now, but half of the students in HAU would pretty much have seen the article already, so putting it down now isn't a big deal.

     "Ah seriously. This is what happens when you show your weakness," Jackson said as he aggressively scratched his head.

     "Pardon?" Mark asked while looking at Jackson. But before Jackson could reply, Sunggyu, Taeil, Jiyong and Suho finally arrived at the locker room.

     Jackson stood up from his seat to greet his brothers, but then Jiyong went to where he was and grabbed him. He pulled Jackson's collar upward and said, "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

     "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Mark shouted. He was about to go to where Jackson and Jiyong were, but Jiyong quickly glared at him and said, "Don't come closer or I'm fucking going to kill you." So Mark slowly backed away.

     Jiyong shifted his attention back to Jackson and continued, "What the fuck is wrong with your brain!? First, it was Hyunseung and that stupid angel Yong Junhyung, now it's you and that bitch Mark?!"

     Jackson was expressionless, making Jiyong loosen his grip. Then he completely lets go of Jackson and took a deep breath to finally calm himself down.

     "I'm not mad at you Jackson, and you know that. I'm mad at your actions," Jiyong stated as he looked away while the rest of the sons were surprised to see Jiyong so matured about the situation.

     "What's going on anyway?" Mark finally asked them.

     Suho looked at Mark and answered for him, "Your faces are all over the campus. Everyone is even thinking that you're together, that's why you're here with us."

     "What?" Mark said in surprise as he sat back down.

     Sunggyu finally went to where Jackson was and told him, "I'm not going to blow up and beat you up Jackson, but I'm only going to tell this to you once. We told you that falling in love with this bitch is alright."

     "Why does everyone keep on calling me bitch!?" Mark angrily asked in the middle of the conversation, but he was completely ignored by everyone.

     "But please don't let the whole world fucking know that you are," Sunggyu continued.

     Jackson was still expressionless, but Mark felt his face burn when he heard Sunggyu say those words. His world stopped. "H-He fell in love with me?" he asked himself with full shock.

     "Then how am I going to fix it?" Jackson finally asked.

     The sons looked at each other, thinking of ways that could help them solve this problem.

     "What do you think we should do Taeil?" asked Sunggyu as he looked at the prince of Sloth. Lately, Taeil's instincts were the only thing that's making the Demons be ahead of the Arcs. Taeil finally showed his brothers that his brain was really something special.

     "Well, I don't know...tell everyone that they're actually together so they'd stop talking about it and making weird conclusions?" Taeil suggested.

     "Seriously Taeil? That's the only thing you've got?" Jiyong asked back, but Sunggyu nodded his head like he agreed with the weird plan.

     "That's actually a good solution. If everyone thinks you're together then the article is useless. And people will think that the Demons aren't only rivals with the Arcs, but it's the Arcs who are the bad guys in real life. It benefits us in total," Sunggyu explained.

     Jiyong went in front of Sunggyu and asked him, "Are you hearing yourself right now Sunggyu? Do you think Jackson would just-"

     "I'll do it," Jackson suddenly stated.

     Everyone looked at him with surprise, especially Mark. But Jackson looked back at Mark and continued, "I'll pretend that I'm together with him."

- END -