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"Your Majesty, you're bleeding…!" The wyvern cried out.
Antares' shifted his gaze, and the slight cut on his left cheek merely itched. He wiped it with a brush of his thumb and saw the blood before smearing it between his fingers. It had been quite a long time since he last bled, but he deemed it unnecessary to find the root of the cause. His life wasn't at stake. This wasn't a tale to remember.
"It's of no consequence."
The statement didn't settle well for the soldier, but questioning His Majesty would risk offending him. "Understood."
"Leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The wyvern retreated on its hind legs before departing from the throne room while the Dragon King settled back in his stone seat and closed his eyes. The tear on his face healed.
A few days later, Antares stopped walking through the courtyard and removed a section of his shoulder plate. The skin split with another small gash.
"How peculiar."
The wound was caused by a type of blade, judging from its size, similar to that of a young dragon biting onto meat. A dark ruby dragonlet appeared from under Antares' hair. Her curiosity brought her to his shoulder, and she made a crying noise when she inspected it.
"Does it bother you? It's nothing." Antares rubbed a finger under her chin as she quieted down. Honey-colored eyes closed and accepted the gentle touch with chitters of joy. "Spoiled little one." He continued down the path and decided the matter was unimportant.
The third time was a diagonal split across his back, which resulted in him seething between his teeth. Throughout the castle, his army sensed the Dragon King's vexation, bringing a wave of worry of their own. But they knew His Majesty hadn't felt such ire lately since Ashborn's disappearance, so they questioned what it could be.
Another night, Antares passed the time in thought without needing sleep. His hearth continued burning beside him. The flames crackled as the sleeping dragonlets cuddled together near the warmth.
Outside, the scene was pleasant and quiet, with the cool air slipping through the open windows and the moonlight casting its white glow, bathing half his figure. His mind rummaged about the harm done to his body; his fingers lazily flicked his nails. Then, a frown worked to his lips before the bloodied bruises on his fists grew discolored.
"Your tricks won't work on me," Antares growled, ignoring the throbbing pain. It was easy for his mana to mend the damage, but these events made him wonder if it was his enemy's doing.
Over time, Antares grew annoyed that his wounds didn't subside. None of this would kill him, but it started to test his temperament.
Was it curse magic? Could it be one of Ashborn's plans to divert his attention? His hostility towards the Shadow Monarch escalated as he thought about it.
It worsened within two days. The heavy pressure of the Dragon King's anger caused every single soldier in his force to quiver at the sudden wave of displeasure. Fear and confusion rose from the ranks as it spread throughout their world. His close guards tried calming his rage but met with his flames instead.
He donned away his silver-red armor and saw the damage that was done. His patience snapped when something pierced through his stomach and deeper it pushed . This was no game. A portion of the castle walls exploded and crumbled into heaps of rubble.
Antares expected another episode, but four peaceful days passed instead.
"Your Majesty, if I may… the cause of this is the possibility of your soul—"
"Enough." His sharp tone sliced the air. "I do not recall asking for your opinion."
One of his winged guards with dark brown eyes lowered his pine-colored head, looking comparatively small despite their Monarch's human appearance. "But if I may suggest, Your Majesty…?"
The second guard beside him nudged him with his right-wing to shut it.
"Suggest?" Antares' fingertip scratched against the armrest of his seat. "You are bold." His eyes narrowed as he stood up, ignoring the panic the other one revealed.
"Eep!" Cowering with his head against the floor, the wyvern remained frozen.
"I will allow it. Now, speak."
"Yes, Your Majesty... This-This must be a sign that your soulmate exists, but from the wounds you're receiving, they must be experiencing a frightening ordeal where they are."
The second wyvern jumped in despite not having permission. "And to have escaped death for them to hurt Your Majesty this many times, you might want to consider bringing them here? We cannot risk Your Majesty's life—"
"You believe I am incapable of handling this matter."
"No, no, no! I would not dare to assume…!"
While it was true that the Dragon King seemed detached on the matter despite his volatile nature, no one dared to speak about it beforehand, but Antares cocked his head with a smirk before laughing out loud.
After Antares stopped, he reflected on the words and stepped down the steps. Deep in his soul, this was not an accident but a calling that his instincts told him. It sang in ways he hadn't felt before.
Find them. Bring them back. They belong to you.
To think his soulmate existed and would be this weak was unheard of.
He would not accept this. It was time to make his move.
Once they were brought back here, he would keep them safe.
"You are dismissed."
Tracking the bond's threads like trails of whispers in the darkness, he discerned the location with minimal effort, which led him to Earth and opened the gate. While the planet wasn't saturated with enough mana to contain his proper form, he reduced his power enough to allow him to cross.
Antares found himself in a disconcerting white room that smelled strongly of bitter herbs that tickled his nose. To his right, he saw a bed and a human staring at him in shock, but Antares noticed he was hooked to a machine with beeping noises. There were bandages wrapped around the boy's torso and neck, then finding patches over his temples.
And this weakling was supposedly his soulmate? He didn't like the sight. His chest twisted uncomfortably. This unsavory place already irritated his mood.
"Who are you?"
"Answer me this, child. What is your name?"
"What? I'm not a child! And why should I tell you?"
Antares lifted a brow and found it hard to believe. The figure's thin frame and baby face held the particular look of a youngling. He almost thought his soulmate was malnourished, but as he walked to the edge of the bed, he saw him in a better light. Across from him, the whiteboard hanging on the wall revealed some information.
[Sung Jin-Woo]
[Room#: 405]
[Age: 21]
[Pain level: None]
[Notes: Patient didn't feel discomfort when waking up and had a good appetite. Bandages already changed.]
"Sung Jin-Woo." The Dragon King gripped Jin-Woo's chin, ignoring the hiss from his sharp nails prodding Jin-Woo's skin. "You are insufferable."
"Huh? Wh-What're you talking about?" Pink lips parted in surprise. "Ow!"
"I have enough of your reckless behavior," Antares revealed his fangs as he growled deep in his throat. "I'll release you from your confines and take you with me. I won't allow for this to continue anymore." Antares' desires came quickly like a tempest. Jin-Woo couldn't stay here. Antares aimed to bring him to his world where he could keep his soulmate safe. This room barely held anything of worth to protect him. He would burn this place down as a gift for sparing the human race if he wanted to.
"You can't just do that!" Jin-Woo spat out as he tore away from Antares' grip. Fear filled his eyes, but he was determined to speak out. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't even know you!"
"Should you prove able to defend yourself, I would be amicable and grant you a safe passage back here." Antares proclaimed before lifting Jin-Woo into his arms and removing the cords. Jin-Woo had nothing on but a hospital gown, allowing Antares to understand his soulmate was exceptionally light in weight.
"Hey! You can't decide—"
"You are my soulmate. If you disapprove of my actions, challenge me, the Dragon King, to a fight." Antares prided himself. His eyes shone with excitement at the mere fact of such possibility that he would battle his soulmate one day.
Then, he summoned a Red Gate next to him.
"Wait, wait." Jin-Woo stared in disbelief. "You're my soulmate?"
"Antares."
Jin-Woo tried processing it.
"You may address me by my name."
"But Dragon King ?!" Again, Jin-Woo had questions swirling in his head, but he wiggled in Antares' arms, attempting to kick and push away the strong arms wrapped around him. "This can't be right. It's impossible. What're you getting at?"
"Quiet." Antares inclined his head and tapped Jin-Woo's forehead with his. The contact sent a relaxing sensation between them, establishing a firm connection and stopping Jin-Woo's defiance. "I will not deny what we have." Seeing how it hushed Jin-Woo momentarily, he walked through the portal and took them home.
Antares learned much about Jin-Woo in a short amount of time.
His soulmate didn't take well to his new—their bedroom. Antares watched him pace around after giving him proper clothes and food from Earth, and Jin-Woo refused to speak to him, but he ate quickly in silence, still clearly upset at him. Antares left him alone for a day, but word spread quickly.
It was evening when the fledglings were curious about the Dragon King's soulmate, so Antares brought them to meet Jin-Woo. They took immediate interest as they flew, chirping rapidly and climbing on Jin-Woo, surprising him in a stupor and claiming their spots. One draped over his shoulders, while another settled on his head for the soft hairs serving as a makeshift bed. The third one was a little bigger than the rest and plopped onto Jin-Woo's lap.
From the entrance, Antares watched the subtle curl of lips warming up into a gentle smile and the hesitance as Jin-Woo lifted his hand but decided against the idea.
"You may touch them."
Jin-Woo glanced at Antares, then placed his hand over the dragonlet's back, hearing the soft coos in front of him and its thin onyx tail swishing back and forth with joy. The black dragon around his shoulder poked its maw at Jin-Woo's cheek for attention, expressing with a throaty cry. Jin-Woo's lips lifted briefly, gently brushing a finger under the frills along its neck. The third one yawned, comfortable in the mop of black hair before falling asleep.
It certainly baffled Antares that Jin-Woo reacted well around the younglings, and the anger towards him still stayed in his heart.
Why didn't Jin-Woo understand that it was necessary to protect him? How difficult was it to show him that the Dragon King's kindness was done in good faith?
Rather than leaving the room, Antares approached and stood before Jin-Woo, but he received a disinterested look. Jin-Woo bowed his head rather than face him. Antares would've struck any other for their insolence.
"I don't accept this," Jin-Woo said finally. All three dragonlets lifted their heads, sensing the disparity in his vocal cords, while he kept petting them. "How can you be my soulmate when you kidnapped me and took me away from home?"
"It is temporary."
"Temporary?" Jin-Woo shook his head in denial. "No. You said I was to challenge you in order to leave. I know I can't beat you at my level, which tells me you don't plan on bringing me back."
"Your injuries brought you close to near-death situations. I have felt every pain, every bruise you suffered. I have bled as you have. Blood for blood. Have you no care?"
"I'm a hunter! I get hurt! I knew what to expect when I signed up!"
"You throw your life away. Your weakness will get you killed." Antares' anger climbed up his throat, enough to warn the dragonlets to leave the room. They took flight and left for safety. "You humans are too frail."
Jin-Woo shot up and faced Antares. He stood his ground, fists curled tight against his sides. "Guess you're the lucky bastard for having me as your useless soulmate."
"No," Antares countered, narrowing his eyes. "You're capable of becoming stronger. You need guidance."
"Then, let me go."
"You belong to me."
Jin-Woo scoffed. "I belong to no one."
"You are mine to do as I please."
"You don't get to decide that."
"If you continue to defy me, you are stuck here as long as I deem fit. If you decide to listen, then I will make this easy for you."
Jin-Woo sighed. "Let me say this. If you're my soulmate, you should know this is a two-way street. Not some… some tyrant who only cares about what they want. I wouldn't accept someone impudent... so absurd in their thinking, even if they're the most powerful beast in this world."
It drove Antares almost to the edge if not for his dragonheart beating with discontent over his soulmate's words, pressing his rage to a simmering boil. The Dragon King wanted Jin-Woo to see reason. How could he not understand what he was doing was all for him?
In his life, Antares had free reign to do as he pleased and bathed the universe with fire and blood. It gave him much pleasure to annihilate his enemies and leave them in ashes, but now, this was different. He did not aim to kill but rather save his fated mate from hurting himself.
"You will see reason." Antares leaned in and captured the awaiting lips.
The loud smack across Antares' face stunned the both of them. Jin-Woo glared, breathing heavily as he stared at the reddish impact, but Antares erupted into laughter, baring his pointed teeth.
"So, you do have claws."
"I won't yield."
Antares accepted the challenge.