【Ａｓｐｈｙｘｉａ】 seongjoong

The Auction: Final

*Not beta read 

"Maddox?"

Seonghwa stood frozen as he took in the sight of the man he hadn't seen in over a year. He almost couldn't believe his eyes and for a moment thought about pinching himself to prove he wasn't dreaming. Was this actually happening?

"Ah, Seonghwa," Maddox said smoothly with a tilt of his head. "Long time no see. You've hardly changed a bit."

"Is-is it really you?" The agent spoke, his voice cracking. He shuffled a step forward and raised his hand as if to reach out but stopped as a hand clapped down heavily on his shoulder. Seonghwa turned his head to see Eden standing next to him, his jaw clenched and mouth set in a firm line.

"Eden?" The younger agent said almost in a daze. The older didn't react as he took another step forward, closer to where Maddox was standing. There was a clicking sound and Seonghwa looked down to see that Eden had pulled out another collapsible metal spike, as if he were going to attack.

"Wait, Eden," Seonghwa suddenly felt his heart rate speed up as he took in the weapons as he gazed on in confusion. "What are you doing? Can't you see that's Maddox!"

The older agent stopped moving. "Seonghwa," The man said, his tone mixed with something indistinguishable. "Take a look at the man standing before you. That is not the Maddox you knew."

The young leader did as he was told and turned his head forward at the words. His eyes scanned the other and he took a deep breath to focus and tried to look past the fact he was staring at Maddox in the flesh and registering some of his other features.

The man was dressed in a white robe that was tattered and blood spattered from a fight. His dark hair was cropped shorter than Seonghwa had ever seen it before but it was his face that the agent's eyes had locked on. Maddox's lips were set in a kind of smug smirk expression that the younger couldn't recall the other man ever making, his eyes twinkling with something sinister.

A twinkle that was present in one Ghoulish eye.

"What-" Seonghwa dropped the hand he had on Eden to stare. "How-?"

"Eden," The man in white drawled with a tilt of his head, his scorpion-like tail swaying behind him. "Always a pleasure."

"Maddox," The elder agent responded back, emotionless. "I honestly can't say the same if it means seeing you like this."

Seonghwa felt his mind whirring in a million different directions as his eyes darted between the two. He could feel a headache coming on as a thought flashed in his mind. Images of victim's taped to the board, all young women. DNA samples confirming death only to confront the same victim days later as part of a cult. The meeting in the office and the question he had posed at night: "Do you think it is possible to make Ghouls?"

His eyes locked on Eden as he stood coolly in the face of his former subordinate. The man was tense, typical for battle, but his face didn't seem to convey any emotion and he seemed as calm and unfazed as ever while looking at a man who was supposed to be dead. A thought clicked.

"You knew," Seonghwa nearly whispered, voice cracking. He didn't know what had possessed him to speak but now that the words were out, he knew it was true. Yes Eden had a lot of experience, more so than most agents active today, but nothing could prepare for an unexpected confrontation such as this.

Not unless you knew all along.

"Seonghwa," Eden started tersely. "Now is not the time for this-"

"Bullshit!" The younger couldn't help but explode, his emotions getting the better of him. His mind was a mess and a building fury squeezed at his chest. He had a hundred different questions swirling around and he didn't know which one to ask first but he also knew that it was a battle field and that this wasn't the place to ask questions but he was just so confused and- "He's alive! He is alive and you knew-"