Apocalypse ✦ Nomin

29

⊱ ───── { Jeno } ───── ⊰

"Congrats on appeasing your father," Jisung remarks in a condescending manner before adding, "Yet again."

Jeno turns and glares at him with dark eyes.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" Jeno challenges him.

"Yeah, I do," Jisung says, "Way to give your father exactly what he wants, yet again. Tell me, how does it feel knowing you're one step closer to killing Jaemin?"

Without so much as skipping a beat, Jeno takes a step towards Jisung and punches him in the nose with all the force he can muster. A loud pop fills the room as Jisung puts his face in his hands and growls out in pain.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that, again!" Jeno bellows as his voice deeply distorts and his eyes blacken into voids.

"You know he's gonna force you to do it, eventually. You're just prolonging Jaemin's death this way," Jisung points out as he lowers his hands, revealing blood pouring from his nose.

Jeno grabs Jisung's collar and yanks him closer.

"I know what I'm doing," Jeno hisses.

"You're wasting your time. This won't be enough for your father. He'll make you destroy him. He thinks your affinity for him is weakness, and he can't allow for you to be weak. Weakness means power for your enemy, and power for them means a chance of you losing. And he refuses to let you lose," Jisung states.

"No! I'll convince him I'm stronger than to let that happen," Jeno argues.

"It won't work, and you know that. He's not a reasonable man."

"He'll listen to me if I tell him I won't do his bidding if he makes me do that!"

"He'll just find a way to manipulate you, Jeno! That's all he's ever done and it's all he will ever do! He'll threaten you and blackmail you back. You're trying to fight Satan. You can't win this fight. Not alone."

"Yes I can!"

"Wow...I didn't realize you were that fucking delusional," Jisung remarks, further infuriating Jeno.

Just as Jeno reaches for Jisung's neck, a voice interjects their dispute.

"As much as I love seeing the two of you at each other's throats, are you done so we can get this over with?" Xiao inquires irritably.

Jeno throws Jisung aside, causing the man to collapse to the floor with a loud thump. Jeno approaches Xiao and waves his hand, causing a book to drift towards him.

"You're right," he mutters, "Lets get this over with."

He glances at the page and begins chanting the words on it as he extends his hands out towards Xiao. Louder and louder he chants until he has recited the phrase six times.

Xiao begins screaming in agony as his bones begin to crack loudly and his small body bends in abnormal ways. Jeno watches on with a small, sadistic grin as Xiao continues to shriek and his feline body slowly morphs into that of a human.

Jeno knew there was a less painful way to turn him, but he preferred the barbaric way as to ensure that, at the very least, Xiao suffers while he changes.

Upon seeing a full man lying on the floor as he pants hard, Jeno's amused expression slowly fades.

"There," Jeno states, "You're back."

Xiao continues to takes laboured breaths as he tries to breathe properly.

"Come...close," Xiao requests.

"Absolutely not," Jeno hisses.

"Do it. Now," Xiao snaps as he looks up at Jeno with the same yellow cat eyes Jisung has.

Jeno purses his lips and determines that, should Xiao try anything, he could easily slit his throat with the knife he had used just a little while ago to sacrifice Hendery.

He gets down onto one knee and leans in enough for Xiao to speak. Xiao meets Jeno half way and whispers into his ear:

"The other archangel is Chenle."

Jeno's heart drops at the utter of Chenle's name. Time suddenly slows as he tries to make sense of the situation.

"Don't you fucking lie to me, you piece of shit," Jeno hisses.

"I'm not..." Xiao begins to catch his breath, "Did you never wonder why Chenle was taken from Jisung so soon? Or why there was only one other archangel in existence?"

"Not really...What happened?" Jeno whispers cautiously.

"Your father had all of the archangels killed. Taeyong knew Chenle was meant to be one, so he took his life and kept him safe and locked away until it was time for him to join Jaemin. I captured him in the midst of his travel to join Jisung, because I intended to do what you never could: lead an apocalypse. If you hadn't have fucked everything up, I would have succeeded. But now I can revel in the fact you have to choose," Xiao remarks with a wicked, Cheshire smile, "So what'll it be? The love of your life, or your best friend's soulmate?"