Chapter Text

“Where 's Kayden?” Jiwoo voice out as he comes down the stairs, sounding puzzled as he watches the living room without a trace of his mentor.

“He said he wanted to lay in the sun for a while,” Kartein replied without worry, too busy licking his paw spotless clean. He hated the way his fur stood messily when he went too long without grooming himself.

Jiwoo sees the packet of Kayden’s favorite treat, one they found together and brought boxes full of it, because the protein and supplement percentage in it was just too good to let it pass. He never forgot, not even for a second, that his mentor was continuously recovering, and while exercises were Kayden’s responsibility alone, Jiwoo took charge of their nutrition, and he took the job very seriously. 

“He didn’t take his treat today…” He murmured. Then, faster than anyone could properly follow, the boy grabbed the packet and rushed out of the house, going after his teacher.

Kartein shook his head, sighing in so much fondness he would deny until he dropped dead. The kid really did care. For all of them. The realization of that had hammered him in the face, in a way he would never recover, or forget. In this world of theirs, it seemed almost impossible to find such a pure soul as Jiwoo, who cared and cared and cared, and never once asked anything in return. 

When Kartein found the boy in the kitchen, on a sunday night, at almost 3 a.m, he almost jumped the boy to put some sense into him. He needed to rest as much as he needed to train, both he and his mentor were crazy enough about fighting, if Jiwoo wasn’t sleeping properly the results would be very bad. But, just as he was about to scream his fury on his patient, Kayden stopped him short, sneaking behind him and putting a huge paw on his shoulder. Kartein is not proud of the noise he made, too startled to stop it. 

“What?” He had hissed, angry and embarrassed. Kayden, in turn, only nodded towards the boy, indicating the other person at the kitchen, going unnoticed because Jiwoo had put him on the counter, right next to him, and was speaking quietly to the dog. Pluton was questioning the boy as to if he wasn’t tired. Jiwoo snorted softly.

“I’m not even sure how I’m still standing on my feet,” he confessed and Pluton made a grumbling noise. Jiwoo stopped what he was doing and patted him sweetly. “It’s okay, Mr. Pluton, I will go to bed in a minute. You can go ahead if you want, I’m almost finished here.”

Standing in the shadow, both cats watched from the shadowed threshold as Jiwoo walked around the living room, grabbing what he needed and kept on working at whatever it was he was doing.

“What is all that?” Pluton finally asked, laying his head on his paw and watching the boy through half-lidded eyes.

“Oh, this is your food,” Jiwoo replied, and moved just enough that allowed Kartein to finally see the numerous containers covering the sink and the counter. “I always prepare everything for the week. The containers with the grey, brown and black and white lids are for the four cats, they are made with enough nutrients to replenish the lack they went through when living in the street. The grey container is for the awakened cat, I asked for Mr. Inhyuk help and we managed to put together a meal plan, we figured we should focus on nutrients that help him expunge out the remains of any chemicals Dr. Delein may have used on him.”

Pluton hummed in acknowledgement, almost dozing off, when Jiwoo said what finally woke him up completely.

“The containers with the beige lid are yous, Mr. Pluto,” The boy seemed a bit bashful as he motioned towards the dozens of containers with beige colored lids. “I studied a lot about it, yours are meals filled with vitamins B12, which focus on the muscles. It has lots of benefits, it will help you in your physical build, seeing that this is your main source of power during fights. I was worried that I would have to give you some supplements in pills, but seeing that you don’t have a problem with the food, it’s a relief.” 

Even in the dim light of the kitchen, because of course even that Jiwoo would take into consideration and work in the dark, so as to not bother who was already asleep, they could see Pluton’s eyes shining with so many emotions, it was a surprise his tails wasn’t waggin- oh. Nevermind. It was wagging alright. Faster than Kartein had ever seen before.

Before he could say anything, though, Jiwoo continued. “The white lidded containers are Mr. Kartein’s, and it was a bit more tricky to assemble. I had to combine food that was in his refined taste and the supplements he needs. It is fancy, as he likes it, but also filled in both vitamin D and C, to mostly help his cat body. He’s a bit too thin, and even if I know it doesn’t affect his own natural body, I still worry. So his diet focuses on replenishing his fat and also to grow and regulate his muscles contractility. I was so relieved he liked it I had to run out to cheer without seeming mad,” he laughed again. 

Kartein was speechless. When the boy came to him, with a new plate made by hand from one of his favorite’s artisans, he was shocked. The boy admitted, very shyly, that it took a long time to find the woman and to commission from her, she was very sought after. But he did, and the plate was medium sized, all white porcelain and engraved with hand painted golden wings, that unfurled beautifully, allowing a few gold feathers to roman freely. It was so much like his power output and his space isolation that he stared and stared and stared, and forgot to even thank the boy. When he finally looked up from his stupor, Jiwoo had put some food on the plate and he had eaten without even realizing. It was delicious as well. But before he could panic as to how to properly thank this precious gift, Jiwoo had moved on, smiling brightly and knowing.

Now, standing in the almost dark kitchen, at the break of dawn, seeing him carefully arrange his meals, focusing on his needs, he felt so many emotions he thought he was dying. Putting a paw against his thin chest, he heard Kayden chuckle behind him but didn’t bother snapping at the smug man. 

He was too busy realizing how precious that boy was. And how lucky was Kayden, to have him to call his apprentice. If he hadn’t understood why the most reckless and unbound man on earth stuck around in this simple, tiny, and filled with love home and resident, he understood now. And he never felt so grateful to be part of it. 

Not that he would ever, ever manage to put that into words.

“The blue lidded containers are Kayden’s. I almost bought orange lids, to match his fur, but this blue is almost the exact color of his lightning, I was enchanted by it. His diet was also hard to put together, he likes to eat well but I needed something to control the fat input on his body. It took a while, and lots of trial and errors, but finally I managed to make him eat healthy. Is good food, the way he likes it, but much less caloric. I’m very proud to have managed that,” He smiled as he finished closing the last container and began to put them away, all ready for the coming week. “I’m going to tell you a secret, Mr. Pluton, even the treats are carefully within your meal plans. I would never let you all eat poorly, don’t worry.”

Pluton was shaken as well. Kayden had gone quiet and thoughtful, before strutting forward on quiet steps. He jumped on the counter, as Jiwoo was turned around, and waited the exact moment he faced him to yell, loud enough to wake the poor cats snoozing in the living room. “Go to bed right now!”

Kartein took that as his queue, and as he went upstairs to his favorite sleeping spot, it was to the sound of his boy spluttering in surprise and laughing brightly at his stern mentor. He was so thoughtful to all of them, and ate nothing but ramen and frozen food all the time. Reckless just as his teacher, indeed. And maybe, as Kartein began to realize, just as caring.

So, when Jiwoo came barging in the house, distress written all over him,  as he looked at the cat’s body in his arms in utter terror, they all knew something was very, very wrong. And not with him. He would never be that desperate over himself, careless as he was. That left…

“Kayden!” Jiwoo shouted, shaking the cat slightly. He looked at Kartein then, and the fear in his eyes made the man jump out of the couch and sprint towards them, Pluton hot in his heels. 

“What happened?” Pluton asked, as Jiwoo lowered the cat very slowly on the ground. Before anyone could say anything else, the cat took one look at all of them and hissed. His fur went on edge and he bare his teeth menacingly, dashing towards a corner but never leaving his eyes from them. The cats huddled together behind Kartein, fearful and alarmed. 

“I found him outside like this, he seems… different,” Jiwoo replied, voice already wobbly and cheeks wet with tears.

Kartein observed the raging creature in their living room, his entire demeanor seemed feral. All instincts and no rationality in his eyes. Then he remembered how badly Kayden was hurt, and how strong was the power that inflicted him.

This… was bad. 

He looked at Jiwoo, and tried to explain as calmly as he could, even when he felt the presence of Gestella and her little cadre, as startled as all of them. Ignoring his own growing worry and terror, he told them that maybe, maybe the pain and the injuries was too much and Kayden had no choice but to dive into that animalistic soul, stripped of the energy to resist. And that maybe, just maybe, it was an irreversible state.

As he talked, he did not take his eyes from Jiwoo, bearing witness to the distress morphing into dread, then guilt, then so many raw emotions he resisted the urge to look away. But he didn’t. And that’s why he noticed, in utter shock, how Jiwoo went from pounding on his chest in pain to pouding in unbelievable rage.

Pluton noticed too, eyes going wide as Jiwoo began to feel different. He looked at Kayden and his eyes were dark, his face twitching as he fought to keep the snarl from his lips. And failed. The entire room plunged in electric tension, hairs rising on their necks as the promise of something scraped its claws in their spine.

There was a faint buzzing sound, as if the leash the boy put around his temper fell away and the inheritance of his mentor’s powers became free, at last. Jiwoo looked nothing like himself and so much like the man he was grieving for. It was almost blasphemous to witness.

When he managed to utter the first words, it was almost a growl, guttural and heavy with angst.

“They did this…” 

“Jiwoo,” Pluton began, but stopped right short. Jiwoo looked at him now, and that expression of pure hatred and death did not belong in that pure, joyous face. Kartein did not remember when he began shaking.

Before anyone could even blink, Jiwoo was gone, in a flash of soft blue sparks and leaving a trail of light in his wake. 

Far away, Kartein heard Pluton barking at Gestella, asking for her help, asking her to go after him, to grab him. She was their best choice. But she was petrified, looking at Kayden without blinking, not noticing anything else.

“Oh,” Kartein murmured softly, still watching the door Jiwoo vanished through. “He was still crying.”

The sweet boy, who cared for them more than he ever did for himself, was weeping as he went hunting.

Chapter Text

He arrives like a calamity.

In the reality in which Awakeners roam the earth, powers overflowing and pressure unbound, it was not uncommon for people to sense rather than see one’s arrival. It was a feeling deep in their gut, a warning as much as a plea — for some to run, and for others to fight. It came without previous notice, they could be going on with their day usually and then someone, powerful enough to make the earth itself announce their presence, arrives. And that thing wrapped around their bones and soul suddenly goes rigid, alert. It nudges them towards the mouth of the beast and allows their instinct to decide whether they flee or bare their teeth right back. 

Korea has seen its fair share of strong awakeners, it was home to more than a few, and the associations splattered around the country had known how to spot, identify, and counterattack even before the name “awakener” was a thing. Back then, some people called it monsters, then gods, some were known simply as “beasts” and some were called catastrophes.

Many years had passed, and the hidden society within humanity now acknowledges them as simply strong individuals, with enormous power and little restraint. Save for those at the very top, it was a bit too much to compare them to a force of nature.

Jiwoo Seo was not at the top, he wasn’t the strongest individual to roam the country, he was not even the angriest. But he was, by far, something people did not expect. And did not prepare for. 

When the tempest-made flesh finally arrived on Shinwa, alarms began to ring. It was not the same ones that came alive whenever a Top 50 or Top 10 arrived. It was something else, it warned something else. Everyone was sensing something, and though they all knew wrath, this was not the feeling of bloodlust. It seemed a bit more deep, a bit more ancient, a bit more… hungry. 

There was a beast straight from the old stories, ravenous and vicious. 

He managed all but five steps into the building before he had to stop, agents surrounding the lobby and ready for a fight to the death to defend their domain. Funny, the thing that swallowed the boy whispered, I didn’t know their anxiety had a scent.

And that it was sweet.

“Jiwoo?” A voice emerged from behind him, close enough he had to bite down his tongue not to snarl like a startled animal. 

He turned, eyes locking almost immediately at the woman a few feet from him. Yoo Jiyoung stood like a monarch whose crown wasn’t needed to assert dominance. Even in his haze of hate, he knew not to trudge too closely. 

He took a step back. She narrowed her eyes. Confusion laced her expression, the tension bleeding from her in waves. A part of him wanted her to call his name again, maybe if she said it enough times it could break through that unending darkness.

“What happened? You… feel different,” she said, her voice pure iron. Inhyuk, right by her side like he was born to be there, was an immovable force, watching him with confused but alert eyes.

Jiwoo’s throat bobbed as he tried to keep the rumble from his words. “I need your help.”

“Ok,” she said without hesitation but held up a hand when he opened his mouth to continue. “We will talk in my office, but first I need you to tone down your intent. Half of my people are tempted to attack you without even knowing why.”

I so much would like to see them try, something purred in his head. He shook it, trying to clear his thoughts and find the path of clarity again. Remember why you are here. Remember him.

A wave of involuntary relief swept through the lobby as Jiwoo exhaled, seizing the leashes of his temper.

He followed Yoo Jiyoung to her office floor, noticing with feline amusement that she deliberately chose the stairs. Either she wanted him to cool down or refused to enter a tight, enclosed space with him. Despite his effort, his beast smiled inside and maybe he let it show on his face a bit too much, because when he glanced forward both Jiyoung and Inhyuk were looking at him with startled expressions. 

Later, Inhyuk would tell Jisuk — who, in turn, would tell everyone, including Jiwoo — exactly how distraught it was to see such a wicked grin on such an innocent face.

His skin felt too tight, his bones seeming to groan under an unknown pressure, he did not know what his eyes looked like at that moment, but everything looked a bit too bright. He would not be surprised if they were glinting like that of a true beast.

As they each took their place in the room, none of them daring to sit down, Jiyoung nodded at him. It took a moment to clear the fog.

“Kayden is… hurt,” he began. Neither of them reacted openly, but in this state of pure instinct, he noticed the nervous sweat begin to pool on their foreheads. “After his fight with Andrei, he has become unresponsive.”

“He is in a coma?” Inhyuk was the one to ask first.

“Not exactly. Kartein did not explain very clearly, only that Kayden is trapped within his… power. I left before I could fully understand what that meant, but when I found him, he did not seem to recognize me. Nor himself, for that matter.” 

There was terse silence for a moment, Jiyoung’s keen gaze stripping him bare. He stared back at her.

“And why exactly did you leave? What can we help you with?” She asked. “You know our medical team is at your disposal, we can send someone to your home right-”

“Not that,” Jiwoo interrupted. “I don’t need your medical team, though I appreciate the effort.”

Even if inside his mind and heart he was bellowing his distress, a part of him knew he had to tread very carefully here. Shinwa did not owe him anything, there wasn’t a debt he could collect from them. He needed a favor. And for that to happen, he needed to play with the right cards.

“Then…” Inhyuk enticed, eager in his curiosity.

“I need a favor. One that will not be easy to grant, but you are my first and safest option. I can’t afford not to try.” They both blink, surprised at his serious tone to make a request. The surprise is quickly changed into utter perplexity when he continues. “I want the Top 10 to pay for what Kayden is going through.  I endured Andrei’s sadist acts when he tortured me at the Frame and I would do it again. But. He did it with Kayden. It wasn’t a fair fight because they are not used to playing fair. They think the entire world belongs to them and should bow to their presence. This only happens because they forgot what it is like to feel fear.  Or misery. Or sadness. Or shame. I will do it. I will transform their divine sense of self into a bleeding puddle of humiliation.”

As he spoke, the anger resurfaced. Inhyuk didn’t think the boy noticed he was baring his teeth at them, utterly wild.

Yoo Jiyoung stood perfectly still as she listened. Her face was once again a mask, nothing showed except the slight frown on her lips. 

“What do you want us to do?” She asked with genuine confusion. Surely Jiwoo wasn’t planning on going after the Top 10. He felt deranged, yes, but his eyes had clarity enough for them to know the boy was not insane. 

“I want you to help me find and meet with the Top 10’s disciples. Duke Grane, Roist, and Muse will be the first, the sons of the Frame. There is no organization as proud as theirs. To never know defeat must be a thrilling feeling,” Jiwoo smiled viciously and both adults felt as if they had witnessed heresy become flesh. “I will ruin that.”

“Jiwoo…” Jiyoung was the first of the two to break her stupor. “I understand what you are feeling. Truly, I do. You need to be by Kayden’s side, supporting your teacher as he fights his way towards health again. He made his choice a long time ago, this life he lives, this fights he takes head-on, is his truth. He doesn’t regret it, and neither should you.”

Inhyuk grabs the hook. “The chairwoman is right. Kayden would not like his disciple rushing towards danger because of him. This is the life he chose, knowing very well the consequences and the rewards it would result.”

They looked at Jiwoo with almost pleading eyes. The face that gazed back at them knew nothing of it. 

“I came here,” he began, speaking slowly as if they couldn’t quite comprehend. “Because I hoped you would see the resolve in me and choose to help me, knowing I will do it one way or another. And this is the place I felt the most welcomed ever since I knew I was different from the other kids. Maybe it was my mistake.”

Jiyoung stiffens when Jiwoo bows, deep. Inhyuk, knowing where this is going, flails nervously.

“I hope you forgive my intrusion and my greed. When you offered to support me, even without associating my name with Shinwa itself, I took it a bit too seriously. That said, I hope you won’t do me the dishonor to believe I will turn around and quit. Remember who my mentor is. And remember how you found the worth in me; when I stood, bleeding and broken, but standing, ready to keep on fighting. I have never quit for myself and I can assure you on my name, that I will never quit for Kayden, either.”

The boy inclined his head one last time, readying to leave before he tore the walls down. He had another couple of people in mind. If Shinwa wouldn’t help, Vator would. When Sucheon grumbled about how the man had practically bullied him into giving him Jiwoo’s number, the boy did not know what to make of that. He was an enemy of his teacher, no good could come from him having his number.

Well. Perhaps one small good.

He turned to leave, already reaching for his phone and putting another contingency plan together in his head. There was one more person he could call on a debt. And luckily for him, this one was almost used by now to Jiwoo calling him his hyung. 

“Wait,” the startling shaky voice of Yoo Jiyoung would be his new religious hymn, for now.

“Chairwoman…” Inhyuk murmured, worried. She shook her head at him, then nodded towards Jiwoo.

“He will do it. Even if we do not help him, he will do it. Look at him… just look at his eyes,” as she said, Inhyuk allowed his shoulder to droop, for he too had noticed the dangerous, volatile gleam in the boy’s gaze. He would not give up. “Jiwoo, I will make the arrangements, but there will be terms you will need to follow. Both for your sake and Shinhwa's.”

Jiwoo considered them, considered Jiyoung’s words and their meaning. It did not matter, he supposed, how it would be done. 

The end would be the same, regardless of the means. Their shameful, humiliating defeat by Jiwoo’s hands. 

So, in thanks, he bowed even deeper. And, in hunger, he smiled once again.

No one commented on how the electricity flickered throughout the building, nor how Jiwoo stalked out of the room resolute in his chase for the first prey.