above - below - beyond

book 7: deserve

Moonbyul left the castle with Wheein as she met up with her right hand man – death – or who Moonbyul calls Leo, a tall dark haired man with fair white skin. The three of them made their way to see the three judges whom helped Byul create the law to govern the dead.

"You look pale." The death god said, breaking the silence as the three walked. "What are you going to do with them?" Nothing, not a single response from the dark haired woman. Leo didn't bother to ask again as he could read the current atmosphere, and it is telling him to best keep his mouth shut. He exchanged a look with Wheein before arriving in front of the three judges – Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus. The three figures stood above their gate gazed upon their ruler.

"Miss Byul, what can we do for you today?" Minos asked, voice echoed across the dense air.

"I need to see the spirits I've sent down yesterday by the name of Jun, Hyun, Seok." Her voice was firm and raspy; the judges didn't have to ask twice. Soon, a herd of spirits flew in front of them as they pushed and isolated the three that Byul desired. They were stripped out of their clothes and covered in burned marks. The three instantly huddled together, scared to face the woman who sent them here.

As they get on their knees begging for forgiveness the woman walked closer. The powerful ruler undid the top two buttons of her white shirt then rolled up her sleeves, her emotionless face made her that much more fearful. Moonbyul's hand landed on one of their neck, digits wrapped tight enough to feel their bone cracking. She moved her hand up, lifting him up. Though a spirit, Byul still have the power to inflict pain upon them as she please. The male struggled to speak, only to grunts and huffs as he powerlessly fought her gasp by clinging onto her forearm.

"Who sent you three villainous scums to intervene my queen." She wasted no time.

At first the other two stayed quiet while they watched one of their brethren getting such treatment from Moonbyul. "I asked... WHO!" She repeated herself with a loud shout, her hair lift up in flames as her whole body exploded with the fire, burning the spirit she held to ashes that blew away through the dark endless sky.

Wheein stood there with Leo as she blinked, trying to be desensitized by such sight. She has never seen this side of Byul, doing all this for anything or anyone.

Now this is the underworld, everything here is already dead. Seconds later, that same spirit that Byul just burnt emerge once again but this time appear to be more defeated and less recognizable by the burn marks. "Who's next?" She walked closer, squatting down to their level. "I can do this all day. Let's make it interesting, I will spare the one person who tell me the truth."

"Please. Spare me!" All three tried to speak, trying to get out of the harsh treatment the woman is putting them through. "It's Jinah. The goddess of beauty. She told us to roughen Yongsun up and she'll grant us all the beauties." One started to spill the kept secret. "But when we saw Yongsun, we were so drawn by her that we wanted to fuck her good. We already knew that she was the queen of the underworld but you weren't there, we could have done it." When those words came out of one of the coward's mouth, they were shocked. It wasn't their own doing but rather the death god's power – being able to dig up one's deepest concealed secrets.

With the answers that she desired, Moonbyul stood up and snapped her fingers, "may these three suffer the pain of death over and over again, each day a different way to die." She whispered, communicating with the three judges to override their rule.

"As you wish." They responded in unison, committing these spirits of their sins.

-

Moonbyul returned to the castle with Wheein, "listen, if Yongsun asks don't say anything. I'll handle this." Even though she didn't understand why, Wheein could only assure Byul with a nod for her silence.