𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐒 [𝐓.𝐊]

Chapter 66

Ubi Errat, Ibi Culpa Est

Where There's Mistakes, There's Guilt

At once, they took off their seatbelts and got out of the car so Macaria and Draven would see them and stop. Only after they did, did the two runners slow to a walk, still far away enough so Hoseok could take out his phone and see the time. And he realized that, if the trip over to the capital was three hours long in the car and they had only taken half of that time to meet, then these two had been running at the same speed as their car.

It was obviously impressive, but Hoseok still frowned as he looked back up to greet them.

- Hello, kids. - Yoongi greeted them like he usually did at home, but much more seriously than ever.

They stopped before the hood of the car and looked at the pair of them with a harsher and way more angered expression than they had ever seen. But it wasn't only that stare that left them momentarily speechless, now that they were right there before them, they could see physical changes as well.

Macaria's turquoise eyes -the eyes of his mother Maniai- were darker than usual, surrounded by skin with a purplish tint in a face paler than it had ever been. Draven had the same changes, his yellow eyes -Aureoluz's eyes- were gloomy and not at all bright and playful. They still looked beautiful in their own right, but it looked as if this war had taken more from them than they'd ever thought or dreaded. They were both dirty from hair to boots, wearing their all-black attire with their pants made of thick material and full of pockets of different sizes, their boots, fingerless gloves, and their simple, spandex shirt for better mobility. They had left their jackets and other things with Cadoc, Hoseok supposed. But they had also left a part of themselves in the fight that had left them with various different injuries and bruises on their arms and faces.

- What are you doing standing there? - Draven asked harshly, startling them a bit. They hadn't even greeted them back. - Move! - He commanded and he and his sister went to each side of the car to get on the back.

Hoseok and Yoongi were only a beat later to close their doors and put on their seatbelts due to the surprise at the sudden change in their demeanor, but then the car was back on and Yoongi was turning it back around.

Only now did Hoseok realize that the pair of them hadn't even taken a proper breakfast and that all that drove them was adrenaline. And he thought of the twins on the backseats who hadn't even put on their seatbelts and were turned to their respective windows to look outside, close enough to take their heads out, and which probably hadn't been able to have a proper meal or sleep since the beginning of the last week.

Should he ask how things are? Or should he accept their silence and go on with their plan? In the end, he chose the latter.

But Yoongi didn't.

- How are things over there? I would like to hear some details. - He wasn't being chatty nor making small talk, but his bluntness wasn't greeted enthusiastically.

- You know? - Macaria started. - I think it would be best if we just keep this important information to ourselves until we win this war. So you wouldn't get sidetracked from your studies, of course. - Her voice was oily and her words venomous.

As if she had swiped lemon to their wounds, Hoseok and Yoongi grimaced.

- We've already talked to Aloisia about that, no need to fight between us. - Hoseok tried to talk it out.

But Draven scoffed, entering his head to the car as well so he could answer.

- We have all the fucking right to want to fight. It's our brother, almost our second dad; our Garrett, you hear me? ¡You were supposed to be in control of everything–!