And so the lamp became the beast

Into the woods

Ryujin followed yeonjun calmly into the woods. The set of his shoulders showed he was more tense than Ryujin had seen him  in a long time. His stiff gait reminded her of their first class of Biology together. Suddenly, he spun around and faced her. "We're leaving," Yeonjun said. "We've been pushing our stay here too long. " Bella's mind raced as she struggled to catch up.

"We?" She asked, confused. "We're leaving?" What does he mean? Where are we going?

"Yes, we." He paused, stelling himself. "My family. We're leaving." Ryujin's mind raced. Yeonjun was leaving her. His family? They told me I was like family... "I'm sorry to tell you like this. I've been considering our breakup for a while. I just don't think we're a good fit. We're too different." Yeonjun was leaving. Yuna and her husband soobin were leaving. Yeji, who never liked Ryujin anyways, was leaving. Beomgyu the big bear of a man she loved like a brother, was leaving. Seulgi and Taeyong, her surrogate parents, they were leaving. Yeonjun, who said he would love her forever, was leaving. She felt her dreams disappearing. She had always imagined her future with the Hwangs. She had looked forward to becoming one of them, no matter how dangerous they might be.

"What did I do? Just tell me, please. I can fix it."

Yeonjun's face softened. He put a cool hand on her face and moved his thumb gently down her chin. Her heart broke. "Nothing. You did nothing wrong. I couldn't risk your life anymore. After soobin almost attacked you, we all knew this was the right thing to do. Also..." He looked at her, sadness etched into his face. "Vampires mate for life Ryujin. There's nothing we can do to fight those feelings." He hesitated. " Your blood calls to me, that's true. But I've lived in the heads of my family and experienced true mating feelings through them. Yuna and Soobin? Taeyeog and Seulgi? Their feelings are undeniable. Mine for you? They're just not as strong. It's a sign I've been trying to ignore for a long time." He sighed heavily. "I love you, Ryujin, I do. But we weren't meant to last forever."

Ryujin nodded. "Okay." She looked everywhere except for his face. The woods were dark, even though it was four in the afternoon. "Okay. Can I-Can I say goodbye to everyone else?"

Yeonjun looked down sadly. "They're already gone. I hung behind to say goodbye." He leaned forward, and for a moment Ryujin thought he was going to kiss her. Instead, he put his hand on her shoulder. It felt patronizing.

"Why did it take you so long to realize?"

"You're my singer, Ryujin. It was hard to separate that from the pull of a mate." He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry. It would have been so much better if we had never met." He didn't wait for a response. His darkened eyes held hers for one long moment before he took off into the forest, running away with her hopes and her future.

Ryujin tried to walk back towards her house, but her feet betrayed her. She stumbled over one root, then another, and then another. She was being destroyed in body as well as mind. She finally laid down on the ground, curled up in the smallest shape she could. He had left. He had left her alone. Yeonjun didn't love her, and she wasn't sure how she could have let herself believe that he did anyways. It was over.

Ryujin walked with Bangchan. He had been her sun, and he had abandoned her. She didn't understand how he could do such a thing, but she had refused to allow it to last any longer. Ryujin had stormed to his house, pounded on his door, and demanded to see him. After his sickness, she had expected him to be home alone. Imagine her surprise when he was home with all his new, admittedly huge, friends. Bangchan planted himself in front of her and spun around, blocking her exit. She was reminded of Yeonjun doing the exact same thing, months ago. "Why are you here Ryujin?"

"Why am I here?" Ryujin snapped. "What happened to you? Ten days ago, you were San's biggest critic. You were my best friend. Now you're his lapdog and I'm a pariah? What does he have on you?"