The Fallen

XI : REVELATIONS (part two)

Namjoon was not a violent angel. 

He'd never wished to be a warrior and wield a sword. He was fortunate enough that his intelligence had given him the opportunity to excel in other paths he was more comfortable in. The war had been devastating to witness and be a part of, as limited as his capacity his had been, behind a desk. So much death, so much pain. 

And then there had been Taehyung.

After he fell, after his exile, Namjoon had wanted violence. He'd been so angry that his blood had boiled. His tension was ready to snap. That had been when Jin had stepped in and taken him from his position in the archives, and told him to channel his focus into something productive and useful.

Namjoon, like Jin and Taehyung, like all their family, had a talent in the control of their grace. Jin had channelled his talents like their father had before him, into warding. Taehyung, like their mother, had strived to be a healer before he'd been forced into other occupations. So when Namjoon felt like everything was falling out beneath him and shattering, Jin removed him from what he'd always known and what was safe, and took him down a new path. One he'd always had the potential for, one that he had considered for a time. He trained to become a Warden. Of course, his skill wasn't at the level of his brother's, who was called a prodigy, but Jin had told him without bias or prejudice that if there was a space for a second Warden, Namjoon could fill the role before any other.

He knew that he was often underestimated. His intelligence was usually the only thing other angels acknowledged him for. He was an average fighter, he was clumsy, but he was smart. At first, Namjoon hadn't understood when Jin told him it was better to keep his warding abilities quiet, but he'd trusted his brother, despite being tempted to prove himself.

It wasn't until now that he understood why Jin had been so insistent. The depth of his brother's knowledge of the secret-happenings of Illenium ran far deeper and for far longer than Namjoon could've ever imagined. If the General-Commander had known that Namjoon was more than capable of breaking out of the wards placed on him to keep him contained, he'd never have sanctioned the order. Which, Namjoon guessed, was exactly what Minhyun wanted.

The dungeons of Illenium were not a place Namjoon had ventured before, and being locked inside a cell of his own wasn't the way he'd imagined seeing them for first time. He hadn't even visited Taehyung when he was sequestered before the felling. His younger brother's stay had been far more traumatic than his own. He couldn't help but imagine the pain and suffering Taehyung had gone through. A hot rush of shame made his eyes sting with tears as he remembered the harsh words Hoseok had spat at him about what a terrible older brother he'd been during that time. Circumstance was circumstance, but he could have done something, and he knew that now. Hindsight wasn't kind.

Namjoon sighed and looked down at his wrists. The gold-yellow glow of the wards circled them, restraining him. The wards were powerful, he had to admit that. For any other prisoner, they might have worked. As much as he wanted to break them, he resisted. He couldn't - not yet, at least. The wards cut his senses off from anything happening outside his cell, so when the door opened, he was startled, and then furious.

General-Commander Kang Seongmin was an imposing angel. He was rarely seen out of unarmored despite there being no real need for it within the Palace walls or in Illenium itself. Namjoon the message it sent was one of strength and authority. There could be no mistake in who was in charge. Who was to be respected and feared.

He was not a particularly handsome angel. His build was broad and strong, his shoulders and legs were thick and muscular, his face matched his build, and his gaze was intimidating and filled with utmost confident, particularly for those who were unlucky enough to face his displeasure or go against orders.