Beast ~ Seongjoong

seven: of blood and bone

Hongjoong stopped dead in his tracks. A cold shiver ran up his spine and he slowly turned back towards the doors of the Banquet Hall.

That shrill scream, that desperate plea for help. There was no doubt in his mind he had heard it. And it sounded like it came from the Banquet Hall.

Hongjoong tried to swallow a hard lump in his throat, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. Someone was in there, someone was in danger, crying out for help. A fellow human. 

A human who was undoubtedly about to be devoured.

As another terror-stricken cry pierced his ears, Hongjoong was sucked into a memory. Fear strangled his body like the wet blades of grass which wrapped around his thighs. His frantic heartbeat drummed in his chest, so feverish it rattled his entire body. There was the strange warmth from his own blood oozing from fresh, painful wounds and screams which sounded foreign to him yet at the same time so painfully familiar.

As quick as it had overpowered him the memory was gone, but it left Hongjoong clutching at his chest, feeling like his heart might just break through his ribs. He staggered, suddenly dizzy. A cold sweat made his body flush hot and cold in waves and he reached out to steady himself against the wall.

He was terrified. Those screams sounded just like his own, as though he were listening to himself being torn apart by savage beasts just beyond those innocuous white doors. His legs shook as he pushed himself away from the wall. He forced them to move, slowly inching closer to the Banquet Hall. 

He had to help. He had to intervene. As terrified as he was, a deep instinctive force was pulling him towards that nightmarish hall and what lay beyond.

Suddenly a tall dark figure stepped in front of him. He looked up to see a familiar female beast blocking his path. She had a short bob of straight black hair with a fringe, beneath which a set of bright red eyes watched him like flaming rubies. 

"Now where do you think you're going, little one?" she asked. Behind her in the Banquet Hall, the source of the terrible wailing that chilled him to the bone continued.

Hongjoong balled his hands into fists, "Let me pass, Soyeon," he said through gritted teeth.

Wearing black stilettos with blood-red soles, Soyeon towered over Hongjoong. Her long legs were wrapped in skin-tight leather and she wore a black leather corset to match. The lines of her exposed collarbones looked sharp to the touch but her imposing aura was more than enough to have any mortal man trembling at her feet. Hongjoong stood his ground though as she stared down at him with her ruby red eyes.

"His Majesty has forbidden you from entering the Banquet Hall, so you shall not enter." Soyeon said with a heavy air of finality, "It's for your safety."

Hongjoong bit the inside of his cheek as the screams continued inside the Banquet Hall. Soyeon's steady gaze on him was as unwavering as her loyalty to Seonghwa; he knew she was among the beasts who bowed to his every order and dutifully acquiesced to his every request. It would be a waste of his breath to argue with her, so he had to go about persuading her another way.

Hongjoong squared his shoulders and looked meaningfully up into Soyeon's ruby eyes. "I understand, Soyeon, I do. But what about the safety of that poor soul in there? What about his safety?” he motioned to the set of ivory doors and her eyes followed before flicking back to him. “That could easily be me in there. What would Seonghwa think?”

Soyeon’s eyes narrowed, “What can you do?” she responded. Her ruby eyes flicked down his body, “Little one, you’re shaking. You’re scared. Do you believe you can stop whoever is tearing that human apart?”