A DAY BEFORE THE WAR

SUNGGYU AND JIYONG WERE driving around Seoul, checking all the spots where the demonic markings could be found to check if they were still there, or if the marks were moved. Luckily for them, the marks seem to be in a permanent position.

     "It looks like a ghost town," Sunggyu stated while looking out of the window of the car. The entire city was evacuated thanks to the fake typhoon that the heavens created. A few people stayed, but it's better than having millions of people still in the city. Now that there's only a couple, the Demons, the Arcs and the others who they were with, will be able to easily protect them.

     "The supposed biggest typhoon will be having its landfall tonight. It would be crazy if they find out the typhoon magically disappeared after tomorrow," Jiyong explained while driving. Though it is a fake typhoon, it was still raining hard outside, which makes everyone believe that it is coming soon.

     The two demons didn't say anything as they drove their way to the last mark that they'll be heading to, which is at the Holy Angels University where the largest mark can be found, AKA the mark where the king of hell will come out of.

     Jiyong parked at his usual spot. The moment he did, Sunggyu chuckled to himself and looked at his brother, "I never thought that I'd ever see you here again."

     "Yeah. Kharon said that when I died, everyone who didn't see my dead body just forgot about me. And when I got resurrected, they remembered me like I was never dead. I don't know how that happened, but I guess it saved you guys from explaining things," Jiyong stated, and Sunggyu nodded his head in agreement.

     "Well, while we're already here, should we walk around the campus?" Sunggyu suggested, and Jiyong smiled and went out of the car, Sunggyu following right behind him. The two ran to the empty building, getting wet in the process. But they didn't mind as they laughed and went inside, walking down the hallway that they'd usually walk on with their other brothers.

     "Damn, this is fucking weird," Jiyong stated with his hands inside his pockets. "I can't believe I'm back here again. It feels so surreal. There was a point in my life where I hated going to this university, but now I can't deny how I missed it."

     "The three of us were known for being the three most famous bullies, and now there's seven of us," Sunggyu added, and Jiyong chuckled just by remembering everything that he and his brothers have done in this university. "Things were crazy back then. If I wasn't a prince in hell, I would be contented with my college life with you guys."

     "If you weren't a prince then we wouldn't have been close with our other brothers," Sunggyu explained, and Jiyong just shrugged his shoulders.

     Sunggyu, who was looking at every room that they walked past, asked Jiyong without even looking back at him, "Have you ever wondered what would happen if we didn't try to look for you on the day we found out we were all demons?"

     "Who knows. I was pretty stubborn at that time and just hid at the park. But even if you guys didn't look for me, our Fathers still would have done something," Jiyong explained.

     "It happened fast for all seven of us so I somehow understood why you were stubborn. I guess at that time you were the only sane person. We all just went to the flow and decided to be demons with no question, but you didn't. That already says a lot about you," Sunggyu stated, making Jiyong chuckle again. 

     "I'm honored, but I'm the son of pride. Being stubborn is an innate power. I wasn't sane, and I didn't use my head. I just didn't want to put my pride down," Jiyong explained, and Sunggyu didn't try to say anything about it anymore.

     The two arrived at the cafeteria where most of the drama with the Arcs took place. Being there alone made them smile from ear to ear. Jiyong even ran to where their usual table was while Sunggyu followed right behind him.

     "This is seriously fucking crazy," Jiyong stated, looking at the table and the other table that they moved so they could sit with the Arcs. "No one changed this?" Jiyong asked in disbelief.

     "Probably because they got too scared to remove it," Sunggyu answered before sitting on his usual spot. Jiyong did the same, and the two looked at each other and laughed like they were kids. While Jiyong admired the memorable cafeteria, Sunggyu's smiling face vanished, and the memory of his brother's death appeared before him again.

     "I really missed you," Sunggyu suddenly stated, immediately making Jiyong look back at him. Jiyong was about to make a joke, but when he saw his brother's reaction, he became serious too.

     "Hey, why are you looking like that? I'm here."

     Sunggyu took a deep breath and looked at his hand so he wouldn't have to look back at Jiyong. "You don't even know how much I regretted what happened to you. I wanted to die and follow behind you. I wanted to just curse at the world and leave everything behind, even our brothers. I just couldn't accept the fact that I couldn't do anything for you." Sunggyu revealed with a sad expression, almost like he was about to cry. "So this war is making me even more anxious than before," he then added next.

     Jiyong took a deep breath and grabbed Sunggyu's hand so Sunggyu could look back at him. When they were now facing each other, Jiyong told him, "We were weaker back then Sunggyu. We didn't have a concrete plan so that happened. But now things have changed. We're stronger than before. We have a purpose. And we have people helping us succeed. Nothing bad will happen. You and everyone else involved in this war will make sure of it"

     "But what if things failed? What if we miscalculated everything?" Sunggyu asked.

     "Nothing will happen Sunggyu. You have to have faith in yourself."

     "But what if I fail as a leader again? And one of you will-" Sunggyu was cut off when he heard a loud slap. Seconds later, his cheeks started to ache. He looked back at Jiyong and realized that he just got slapped by him.

     Jiyong took a deep breath and stood from his seat before looking down at their leader with a serious expression.

     "As a leader, it's okay to worry, I understand that. But acting like this isn't going to help you or anyone. Our brothers and the Arcs have been soft on you because they know what you've been through, but it seems like nothing has changed," Jiyong stated, and out of nowhere, he grabbed him by the collar and moved his face close to his.

     "W-What are you-"

     "Let me toughen you up again Prince of Wrath. You're a pathetic excuse for a leader. You bring yourself down too much that our brothers are more worried about you than they are for themselves. You act as if you're ready to head to the future, but you're still stuck in the past as if I'm still dead. You look at me as though I'm weak and it pisses me off. Just because I died once doesn't mean you can look down on me even until now. I don't fucking need your protection, and so does our brothers. Protect yourself, guide us, and do great things for your own satisfaction. You're our leader, not our fucking mother. You got that?" Jiyong stated, leaving Sunggyu speechless.

     His words pierced right through his heart, but for some reason, that was something that he has always wanted to hear. People have been comforting him, but he realized that comfort isn't what he needed anymore.

     "You were the most feared student here, but it seems like even a loser can step on you," Jiyong finished before letting go of Sunggyu collar and walking away. Sunggyu stood there, dumbfounded. But as he watched Jiyong's back, something inside him started to spark. Something that has died down ever since Jiyong's death.

     It was his Wrath.

     He felt angry; a feeling that he wasn't able to feel for a while because all this time, all he felt was sadness and regret. And as the prince of wrath, that made him weaker.

     "What the hell did you just say to me?" Sunggyu asked while clenching his fist, but Jiyong ignored him and continued to walk away. Sunggyu's aura immediately changed into something darker that if a human would get closer, they'd faint.

     The fire in Sunggyu's heart finally burned up as he ran towards Jiyong and grabbed him by the arm before swinging his hand for a punch. But just when Sunggyu's fist was only a few inches away from Jiyong's face, Jiyong was able to grab his hand to stop him.

     Jiyong stared at his brother and smirked before letting go of him.

     "Looks like you're finally better. Welcome back...Prince of Wrath," Jiyong stated.

     Sunggyu was panting heavily, but he finally calmed down and lightly punched Jiyong's shoulder before saying, "I never expected that all I needed was your tough love. Thank you...Prince of Pride."

     "Well, I am the best after all," Jiyong said with a cocky smile, almost making Sunggyu attempt to punch him again. Jiyong smiled when he saw his reaction, so he held Sunggyu by his shoulder and told him, "That's it. Channel your anger because your anger is your strength. Put all that anger to the king, and use that to win this war."

     Sunggyu held Jiyong's hand over his shoulder and nodded his head.

     The two finally headed out of the cafeteria and walked their way to the soccer field where the King's mark can be found. But while they were walking, Jiyong asked, "So what's with you and Woohyun?"

     Sunggyu wasn't even flustered when he heard the question. He just smirked and answered him, "We're just friends. Sometimes he tries to flirt with me, but that flirtatiousness will get him nowhere. I'm just playing along since it's fun."

     "Why not just make things serious? Woohyun seems like a nice guy," Jiyong explained.

     "I don't need nice. I definitely don't need a lover either. I already have too much on my plate to add anything else."

     Jiyong wanted to say something, but first, he draped his arm around Sunggyu's shoulder before proceeding, "Since you're back to normal, let me give you some advice. Our world is already cruel enough. Believe me, you should take the smallest nice that's being offered to you. And besides, who said having a lover will fill your plate? A lover is more like a...dessert."

     "So is Seunghyun your dessert now too?" Sunggyu asked, immediately avoiding the topic relating to him and not wanting to be lovers with Woohyun.

     Not like Sunggyu, Jiyong was flustered. He never even imagined being together with that serious angel. And if they did end up being together, it was obvious that Jiyong wasn't topping in that relationship, and that hurt his pride.

     Yes, he was more concerned about that instead of anything else.

     "He's not dessert. He's more of like...extra rice. I'm still not sure if I need him or not, but I'll just put it aside for later," Jiyong shamelessly explained while trying to compose himself.

     "When did you even become a love expert?" Sunggyu asked with his right eyebrow raised.

     "I've always been a love expert," Jiyong defended, so Sunggyu smirked and told him, "Is that why you've been secretly in love with Hyunseung for almost three years now?"

     Jiyong's eyes widened, and he immediately covered Sunggyu's mouth like he was afraid that someone would hear it. Sunggyu pushed Jiyong away and laughed when he saw how red his brother's ears were.

     "Anyone who would pay attention to detail would know you've liked him from the very start. Even during our high school years, you've always gazed upon him whenever we walk past him," Sunggyu explained, embarrassing Jiyong even more.

NOTE: I've always left subtle hints about Jiyong's feelings for Hyunseung since book 1. If you noticed that, you guys are legends.

     "Did you tell anyone about that?" Jiyong asked, but Sunggyu shook his head and answered him, "No. Suho doesn't even know about it either. His mouth is too loud he might accidentally spill it."

     Jiyong took a deep breath and shoved his hands inside his pocket again. "At first I thought I was just attracted to him because he's a prince of lust, but since we're brothers, our power don't affect each other so I realized I just really like him. But I guess the brother thing makes it weird now."

     "You know we're technically not brothers," Sunggyu pointed out, and Jiyong glared at him and said, "Are you encouraging me to break my already good relationship with JS?"

     "No, I'm just stating facts. And besides, Hyunseung's too in love with Junhyung. Even if you tell him you like him, he won't break up with that angel. But then again, he loves you too, so he might just hug you and comfort you, which would make you feel like shit," Sunggyu truthfully said, finally making Jiyong smack him.

     "I just remembered how sharp and annoying your tongue is," Jiyong stated, making Sunggyu laugh.

     "Anyway, I'm just glad he's happy. Being by his side is enough for me. I'll be there for him as a brother, and I'll love him with all my life as his friend. I don't have any regrets," Jiyong stated, and Sunggyu didn't laugh anymore. He smiled at his brother's declaration and draped his arm around his shoulder while they get closer to the soccer field.

     "Maybe you really do need that extra rice," Sunggyu stated, making Jiyong push his away from him.

     Sunggyu laughed again, and Jiyong finally laughed with him. When they arrived at the soccer field, the two went to the middle and saw the large demonic mark that Kharon told them about. It was still raining hard so they ended up getting wet. They were idiots for not even bringing an umbrella with them when the weather is already like this.

     "Looks like it's still here," Sunggyu stated, kneeling down to touch the mark.

     "Can't we just remove it so he wouldn't be able to come out?" Jiyong asked with his arms crossed.

     "Kharon II and the third, and even Dongmin tried to break it, but the mark wouldn't budge. It's too powerful," Sunggyu explained, making Jiyong sigh heavily. This will be his battlefield. This will be the place where he'll finally be able to face the king; the demon that killed him right in front of his brothers that caused them to be left with so much pain.

      "Let' go back," Jiyong stated, and Sunggyu nodded his head and stood up.

     The two walked back to the parking, soaking wet. But as they were walking, Jiyong stated, "I hope when the king arrives, the rain would stop. Fire isn't good with water."

     "I know. Our fire would die down and we'll be weaker than-" Sunggyu stopped and widened his eyes from shock. Jiyong realized it too, and the two powerful demons looked at each other like they just made one final plan that will secure their success in this war.  

- END -