"You said you knew where they went."

"No, I said I saw them leave the dungeon. They could be anywhere by now."

Sneaking around the dome like fugitives, Junhong and Jihoon could feel their hearts racing. They hadn't even done anything wrong yet, and they already felt like they were going to be executed just for having these thoughts of treason. Technically, they didn't even need to sneak or hide because no one knew that they were planning to defy the emperor, but they didn't want to risk acting suspiciously if anyone asked what they were doing or where they were going.

"They can't be too hard to find, right? They're both not from Szarvoun, so they'll stick out." At least, that was what Jihoon thought.

Junhong, on the other hand, disagreed."They're hiding for their lives, Jihoon. They'll conceal themselves the best they can." Of course, he had a very unpleasant memory associated with hiding."Remember our final stealth test when we were trainees?"

"How could I ever forget?" Jihoon had undesired memories from that as well."You passed with the highest score. I didn't have the guts to crawl inside a large beast corpse like you did. But it was an excellent hiding spot."

"I was merely passing a test. The small one and the other are hiding for their lives. They'll be more inclined to hide in uncomfortable spots than we were in that test." Junhong just hoped they would be able to find Yoongi and the other prisoner before anyone else would.

Their quiet conversation was cut off when a too-familiar voice was heard in the hall behind them, coming their way.

"How could one of our warriors be so careless? He'll be punished severely." It was Emperor Minseok.

Junhong grabbed Jihoon's hand and pulled him into the nearest room, which was not unoccupied, unfortunately."Uhh..."

The incubus in the room had been in the process of making alterations to some suits."Do you two need something? You're not supposed to barge in here."

Needing to come up with a good excuse that wouldn't get them thrown out, Jihoon smiled sheepishly."Sorry. We didn't look at what room we were entering. We were just gonna, you know..." He shifted his arm a little to bring attention to his and Junhong's connected hands.

Catching on, Junhong nodded once."We know mating between shipmates isn't really allowed, but it's not a big offense. Please don't tell."

Understanding that excuse, the other incubus chuckled lightly."Just don't let it affect your missions. As long as you stay focused, I don't see a reason for it to be reported."

"Yeah, thanks, uh, we'll find another room." Jihoon looked out into the hall and felt relieved to see that Emperor Minseok had passed them.

As they left the room and resumed their search for the two escaped prisoners, Junhong didn't know what he felt as their hands were still connected. Was he embarrassed at the lie they just told? He wasn't used to lying about mating. Sure, most mating was done in the open unless the ones involved desired privacy for some reason, but mating among shipmates was seen as unprofessional and a conflict of interests, so it was one of the rare times it would be done exclusively in private."Jihoon."

"Yeah?"

"You can let go of my hand now."

"Okay." Releasing Junhong's hand, Jihoon tried to just shrug it off. This wasn't the first time he held the other incubus' hand by far, but it certainly was the weirdest experience in doing so.

---

With the back of his hand, Hoseok wiped a bit of blood from his bottom lip. As fast and stealthy as he was, he still got a few hits from Minhyuk. This wasn't looking good for him since he couldn't get behind the other incubus. He wouldn't stand a chance if he attacked from the front.

"Didn't you say you would destroy me?" Minhyuk mocked with a cocky laugh."All you can do is try to dodge my strikes. You haven't hit me once."

"I will destroy you. That's a promise." Hoseok quickly ducked then jumped backward to avoid a punch and kick from the collector.

Minhyuk scoffed."All you know how to do is run away. What did Emperor Minseok ever see in you? You would have failed as a collector, especially with Namjoon training you."

Feeling more anger than he'd ever felt before in his life, Hoseok lunged forward and swung a punch at Minhyuk's face, practically shaking with rage when his fist was caught."I may have run away, but you're also a coward! You had to keep Namjoon bound to stand a chance against him! And now you're acting smug against me, knowing I'm at a physical disadvantage! You wouldn't be so confident against anyone closer to your own strength!" In defiance, Hoseok spat at Minhyuk, right onto the front of his suit."You only attack easy targets because you're too pathetic to fight anyone who might pose a threat!"

"Pathetic?" Minhyuk put force into his arm to push Hoseok's hand back, making that fist hit the halfling's own face."Pathetic?! Have you forgotten who you're talking to?! I'm the top collector!"

"You only became the top collector because Namjoon left!" Unable to contain his rage, Hoseok reached his free hand up and grabbed a fistful of Minhyuk's hair."Even I would have surpassed you if I had stayed!"

Knowing he had to keep Hoseok's hands away from his head, Minhyuk punched him in the stomach in hopes of making him release the grip he had on his hair. That didn't succeed. So he hastily shifted his gaze around the room for anything he could use, and he saw the perfect thing. With his full body weight, Minhyuk rammed his shoulder into Hoseok's chest and drove him backward toward the wall.

Behind forcefully pinned between Minhyuk and the hard wall, Hoseok let out a shout of pain. His grip on the captain's hair remained tight as he realized his back was against the weapon wall. With one hand holding Minhyuk's hair and his other fist caught in a painful grip, he couldn't reach for a weapon. He could only watch as Minhyuk's free hand grabbed a dagger.

"You'll regret coming back to Szarvoun!" With those words, Minhyuk plunged the blade into Hoseok's side.

Hoseok cried out, his grip on Minhyuk's hair loosening. However, he didn't retract his hand. Instead, he glanced down at Namjoon's lifeless body, silently vowing to kill Minhyuk right here and now. Opening his hand to place his palm against the captain's scalp, he used the forbidden ability."Numb." As soon as Minhyuk fell to the floor in complete paralysis, Hoseok grabbed the handle of the dagger and pulled the blade from his side, his wound weeping blood.

There was nothing Minhyuk could do. He was only able to watch as Hoseok sat on his stomach, dagger in his hands.

"Pathetic." With that last word, Hoseok buried the dagger deep into Minhyuk's chest, making sure to give it a twist. He watched the life fade from Minhyuk's eyes before turning his gaze to Namjoon. It became quiet--near silent--as Hoseok panted. He didn't hesitate to crawl over to his fallen mate, lying by his side on the floor."This wound won't kill me." he told Namjoon."I cannot join you yet. I have to make sure the others escape. I'm sorry." Closing his eyes, Hoseok needed a moment to recollect himself. In this moment, his mind played the cruelest trick.

"Hoseok."

The halfling's eyes snapped open at the sound of his mate's voice, only to be met with nothing. Namjoon was gone, and he was never coming back.