The Fallen

V : WARNING

Jung Hoseok had rules, and he had them for a reason.

As one of the most reliable and knowledgable information brokers in the Shadow World, the supernatural world on earth, he was sought out by all kinds: the worst of the worst, those who just wanted simple aide, the ones in trouble, and the ones looking for it. It had taken some years before his reputation was solidified, but there was hardly anyone who, at the very least, hadn't heard of him.

His rules were pretty simple: don't question where he got his information from. Don't ask if you can't pay, and if you don't pay expect a not-so-friendly reminder of why its important to do so. His biggest rule, the most important, was not to fuck with him.

He didn't care for having his time wasted, nor did he care for people who disregarded his very few and very simple rules. It was known to expect tenfold the amount of pain inflicted on him to be returned. It didn't matter who it was, Hoseok didn't tolerate attacks on his person or his reputation. He had made examples of those who broke his rules in the past, publicly and ruthlessly, and the Fallen Hunters that Taehyung had allowed to survive were not going to escape from him. No matter how soft Taehyung might have become, Hoseok was not.

Not that he blamed Taehyung. He had always been softer than most, in his heart of hearts. The Fallen was the living embodiment of conflict of the body and soul. An angel who was so skilled in combat he was slated to become one of the future leaders of their army, yet he despised war and fighting. An angel who fell in love with a demon. A peaceful angel who was felled and became known as the Blood-Winged Fallen for all the death and the wrath he brought upon those who hunted him. A brother who loved his family and was heartbroken when they turned their backs on him, but could never truly do the same, always keeping an ear out for how they fared. A lover who was abandoned and whose love turned to hate. The Fallen Angel who became a protector instead of destroyer.

Hoseok thought he admired Taehyung more than any other being he'd encountered. He had pulled himself from the darkness he was lost in, never asking for help but also not rejecting it when it was offered. He was proud but not blinded by it, and it was truly remarkable that he was still recognisable as Kim Taehyung, even after all he'd been through.

Of course, Hoseok didn't know Taehyung when he was an angel. That was before he was born, after all. But he'd learned about his character from the Fallen himself, from his brothers, from Yoongi, and from his father. Hoseok's father had known all the Kim angels once upon a time, when he'd been an Angel of Illenium, before fleeing their glittering city with secrets that will, one day soon, dim its shine.

He shook himself out of his darkening thoughts and focused on his current mission. To find the Fallen Hunters. The best place to visit was the Grey Markets for that. Usually located in abandoned warehouses throughout the city, the Grey Markets changed locations every so often for security reasons. Sometimes the werewolves, self-proclaimed protectors of the supernaturals, decided to raid them and destroy as much as possible. It was heroic, if not a little misguided. Hoseok was long past the thought that the world should be all black and white, good and bad. At least in places like the Grey Markets, the bad was organised and locatable. There would always be a call for places like it, as unfortunate as that reality was.

Still, he couldn't deny that the Markets were a wretched place, with tents and vendors welcoming you in and softening the expectations of the place, before the you were exposed to what they called The Gallery, where skin traders and slavers displayed their 'wares' for purchase. The unluckiest of the Sighted, Known, supernaturals, or just tragically unlucky humans, were bound and chained in their cages, ready for auction for whomever was eager to buy, for whatever purpose they chose. It made Hoseok's skin crawl with disgust and helplessness. There was little he could do to help them, although he did pass on information about those who might buy the poor souls to beings like Taehyung, who even with his soft heart one sense of duty and courage were enough to slaughter their way to the slaves to free them.