Chapter Text
Kim Dokja woke up to an empty bed.
His whole body throbbed, a dull ache stung both his lower region and the base of his neck.
He reached to touch his wounded scent gland, but stopped when he realized that his hand wasn't empty.
A pair of beautiful earrings was laying on his palm, the red gems on their ends shone in the soft morning light, revealing the hidden crest of the imperial family carved underneath.
Kim Dokja's head snapped upward as he frantically searched for the owner of those earrings—the man who left the mark on his neck—only to belatedly realize the gravity of his absence.
They weren't supposed to separate.
Not today.
When he tried to get off the bed, a harsh pressure similar to being choked kept him in place. All strength was drained from his body, whether it was physical or magical. Kim Dokja threw off the blanket, revealing a binding magic circle on his naked abdomen. It was a magic circle left by an alpha to restrict their omega.
Kim Dokja laughed, the sound awfully bitter. The fucking audacity of that man.
He was gone.
Kim Dokja was left behind.
Last night was indeed, a final goodbye.
"Selfish bastard…" Kim Dokja whispered into his hands, feeling fat tears running down his face. "Am I not supposed to be your companion in life and death?"
He wanted to go insane. Wanted to wreak havoc. Wanted to burn everything. Wanted to show a certain someone what it meant to incur his wrath.
He wanted to run towards death. Wanted to see that face. Wanted to hold him tight. Wanted to seal their lips together. Wanted to say that he would rather die together with him.
The magic circle hummed lightly, making sure he could do neither.
When the first loud sob left his lips, a soft white light blanketed the world, and then everything went black.
Kim Dokja wakes up to the soft prickle of grass and the calming sound of running water.
He sits up abruptly, eyes frantically observing his surroundings with bewilderment and confusion.
Why is he here? Wasn't he supposed to die?
There is no one beside him on the riverside.
Riverside?
It is the same riverside he used to run to whenever things were unbearable, which was ridiculously often.
Why is he here?
He looks down to see the dirty clothes he used to wear back when things were horrible—not to say it isn't horrible in the present, but still. It totally isn't an outfit one would expect a nobleman's son to wear. But really, when had he ever been seen as a noble? He was a disgrace at best and a speck of filth at worst.
His eyes trail down to see his pale and thin wrists. They are so frail and pathetic, probably would snap with just the lightest of pressure.
Inspecting the rest of his body, his panic grows bigger. He reaches out to activate a simple magic spell, only to find out he doesn't have enough mana.
The harrowing realization comes into his mind.
No way.
A disbelieving laugh spills out from his mouth, the sound a touch shy from deranged.
It can't be.
When he unthinkingly places his hand on the grass to support himself in his insane outburst, it touches something.
His laugh stops, replaced by dread.
He lifts up his hand and sees a pair of beautiful earrings with red gems dangling on their ends.
Those earrings.
Again, a hysterical laugh bubbles in his throat. This joke isn't funny, God.
Before he could curse god further, familiar sounds of horse hooves reach his ears. Kim Dokja's head snaps forward, realization and panic burning in his chest.
Swiftly, he runs into the safety of the trees, hiding behind a thick foliage as he observes the familiar figure that just arrived on the other side of the river. Kim Dokja's hands clench at the sight, ignoring the urge to run towards the person. To kill, to hold, to stab, to kiss.
But he knows what will happen if he encounters that person right now, doesn’t he? For his sake, they absolutely cannot meet.
So instead, he flies to the direction of his old house.
Whatever had happened, he now has another chance. He knows what to do. He will make sure everything turns out all right for him this time.
The earrings are held tight within his fists the entire way.
"Ah-ah… Junghyeok… Please..." a desperate moan left Kim Dokja's lips, answered by yet an equally desperate groan.
"Kim Dokja…"
That low and breathless voice stirred something in Dokja's heart. His pace quickened and became more erratic as he frantically impaled himself on the alpha's length.
"Junghyeok, please… ah… make… make me yours…"
The plea continued as tears streamed down his face. He stormed helpless kisses onto the other man's lips, his arms tightened around his alpha's neck.
Closer. He needed to be closer. He wanted to mold them both into one.
He didn’t care. He didn’t care anymore. Gone were years of useless pining and wasteful self-deprecation. They had nothing left. They only had each other. If they were destined to die, then he wanted to die as this person’s other half.
It seemed like his prince shared his sentiment, because his desperation seeped into his movements and leaked through his pheromones, choking Dokja with the intensity of his desire.
Without warning, the alpha flipped their position. Dokja's back was slammed into the mattress, his own little cock pressed flush into the alpha's abdomen, making him keen and wail.
"Kim Dokja… Kim Dokja… Kim Dokja…" the prince chanted his name like a prayer. His thrusts were losing their rhythm, although he still managed to slam Dokja's sweet spot with each movement.
Dokja's senses were full of his alpha.
Something hot and strange coiled in the pit of Dokja's stomach. He was afraid. He didn't know what it was, but he wanted it. God, he dearly wanted it.
His nails drew blood on his alpha's back at the one final rough thrust, feeling his walls being painted white. Dokja's voice failed him, all that left his throat was a choked sob as his orgasm sent his body convulsing like crazy. He barely registered the pain of his scent gland being completely punctured before black overtook his vision.
This was their first and last time.
When the next day arrived, they would die.
"Dokja-yah, what are you doing?"
Kim Dokja stares at his mother's aghast face.
Lee Sugyeong, a quiet beta woman, sold into the Kim family as the Baron's third wife and had endured harsh treatments from the rest of the household for the past sixteen years.
Ah, she still looks so young, even though years of abuse and mistreatment unmistakably veils her face with a certain shade of grief. She hasn't hardened yet, has she? She is still the meek mother he knew once upon a time, loving her son with all she has, yet powerless to keep him safe and unbroken. She is still the gentle mother, full of warm embrace and tender caress as they read a book together to forget the pain. Her love hasn't been twisted. Hasn't crooked. Hasn't bent and destroyed whatever it wishes to protect.
There is no cold shoulder. There is no abandonment. There is no sword. There is no blood.
Feeling his throat constrict and his breath stutter, Kim Dokja doesn't answer, stealthily hiding the piercing tool behind his back. But before he could, his mother catches his hand in shock. "What are you doing?!"
Eventually, Kim Dokja shifts his eyes to look at his mother. "It’s nothing, mother."
Maybe something in his tone gave him away, or maybe it's just because of his inability to lie in front of his mother, because her voice grows more stern as she questions him, "How could piercing your ears be nothing?! Dokja-yah, you just presented as an omega on your last birthday! Surely you know what would happen if—"
She stops herself, looking into the depth of Dokja's eyes, boring through his mind in search of something. Dokja lets her. It's not like he could hide anything from this woman.
"What's wrong?" she asks eventually, after a few minutes of silence that could very well be hours. Her voice is calm and soft, stinging his already aching chest.
Surely she would know the gravity of pierced ears for omegas.
Omegas and alphas are special.
A bond between an alpha and omega is the most sacred and commonly happens only once in a lifetime. While the majority of the population—the betas, wear rings to show that they were bonded, alphas and omegas wear something a little more permanent. The alphas would tattoo their omega's mark under their eyes, while their omegas would pierce their ears and wear the earrings their alpha gifted.
A tattooed alpha without an omega can still seek a new partner, but a pierced omega without an alpha means something worthless.
"Dokja-yah…" his mother tries again, bringing her hand to cup his right cheek, "What happened?"
His mother used to be a meek and quiet woman, but he guesses, even back then, she had always had that edge inside her eyes. Deep, unfathomable abyss that would be useless for protecting herself, but would swallow anything that harmed her loved ones, even at the cost of their happiness.
(They are mother and son, aren't they?)
Kim Dokja smiles, defeated, and he starts to talk.
"Make me yours," Kim Dokja said.
His prince gave no reaction except for a faint widening of his eyes. Dokja scooted closer, cupping the face of his prince in his hands, dropping a silent kiss.
"I can't," his prince said. His fists hovered on top of Dokja's arms, yearning.
'I can't bring you down with me,' he didn't say.
But both of them knew it was a losing battle for the prince. They were both hard, from adrenaline, desperation, longing… all swirled into one intense need.
"Aren't I your companion in life and death?" Dokja hummed into his prince's lips. His anguish leaked through his pheromones, answered by the despair in his alpha's scent.
What a bittersweet incense.
"Junghyeok-ah… This is my last selfish wish to you," Kim Dokja said again, "Make me yours."
"I can't," his prince answered, but his hands betrayed those words, starting to massage Dokja's thighs and grind their clothed erections together, too desperate to be soft.
"I have a deal for you, my lord," Kim Dokja says with an indifferent voice.
Baron Kim throws a disgusted look towards his youngest omega son, who is standing in his office with a strange aura surrounding him. Was he always such an insolent child?
But more than his attitude, Baron Kim seems to be more furious towards the earrings dangling from Dokja's ears.
"What's the meaning of this?" He treads dangerously towards Dokja's calm figure, his hands seemingly itching to yank those earrings off and slap his son's face. "How dare you—"
"The Dongho bridge."
The Baron's steps pause.
"I know how to kill the ichthyosaurs that roam around the Dongho bridge."
Dokja can see the Baron's eyes widen.
Ten years ago, ichthyosaurs suddenly popped out around the Dongho river of their territory and made it their nest. It was a great source of terror for the past decade, because ichthyosaurs were supposed to be a creature from the demon realm. Not to mention that it brought a huge blow to the small Kim barony's income, since they can't mine the gold from the river anymore. Now that many problems have arisen throughout the empire, it's more urgent for them to pile up wealth to survive and strengthen the territory. Kim Dokja knows his father is a selfish and greedy man, but he also knows that he's not unreasonable enough to let his territory fall into ruin.
"How could a trash like you know?" The Baron squints at him.
Back then, Dokja would cower with fear and shame whenever his father called him trash or filth, but now, only regret and pity towards his past self remains. He was truly a fool.
"How this trash knows is not important, my lord," Dokja answers rather emptily, "The most important thing is that this trash knows."
He lifts his face, meeting a pair of vicious eyes. He wonders how they could look so different despite being a father and son.
"You're just spouting nonsense."
"Maybe," Dokja agrees, looking at the bulging vein on his father's hand with disinterest. "But you're also desperate, my lord."
Historically, the Kim family was a small and unknown household, but they were filthy rich because of the gold mine and the fertile land. At least until strange happenings popped all over the place ever since the current baron inherited the title. Not that he was stupid, but the Baron was just brought up spoiled in riches without a proper governmental education, drunk on useless sense of pride. He only knows how to buy power with money. He has no actual skill on how to maintain sources and play in politics.
The barony's vault is almost empty as well because of the elder children's glamorous ways of living. Baron Kim's influence and power have already fallen for the past five years. Even their closest allies have started to give the baron a cold shoulder. There is a prolonged drought that has been persisting for the past few years. Not to mention the surge of crimes all over their territory. It is all simply a mess.
Nothing would remain for them except an empty noble title if they fall into bankruptcy.
Hell, the baron isn't even sure they could keep their lives after they fall from power.
"I will provide you with the methods to save the barony," Dokja begins. "I will help you to strengthen your position, economically and politically. I will give you information regarding the crime lords in our territory. I can even arrange for you to climb the peerage, my lord."
Baron Kim stares at him like he has gone insane, which is very likely. "Have you lost your mind?" he bristles, "You don't even have any decent education! An omega like you should just stay obedient until I find a rich family to wed you into, you worthless son of a bitch!"
There's a burst of something that sounds suspiciously akin to a belittling snort coming out of Dokja's mouth. "Are you finally admitting your own nature, my lord?"
"How dare you—!"
Baron Kim's movement of strangling his son suddenly freezes midway. With wide eyes, he realizes that there is a thick and sturdy magic barrier separating his fingers and Dokja's neck.
"Wh—how did you—?!"
"Again, my lord, you are desperate. You don't have any choice but to agree," Dokja says with a gentle voice, but its gentleness sends something cold and unsettling into the baron's skin.
His fingers are still frozen.
"I will provide you with the way to gain wealth and power, as well as a positive image in the eyes of the imperial family, if you'd like. All you have to do is to make sure I and my mother, as well as your subjects, can live peacefully and quietly. Isn't it a great deal?"
After what feels like a daunting eternity, the baron's fingers fall limp and he takes them back hurriedly, clenching and unclenching his fist to forget the chilling sensation he felt when he touched the magic barrier.
How did this worthless filth even manage to learn magic?
"I don't trust you!"
"You don't have to," Dokja agrees thoughtfully. "I will just prove my words. Starting from Dongho bridge."
The baron is silent, his gaze locked into the depth of his son's eyes. After a while, he throws his eyes away, his trembling fists balled tight on his sides.
Kim Dokja smiles.
He wins.
"Why did you have to pierce your ears anyway, are you crazy?" Baron Kim growls to hide his defeat. "You have no value if you—"
"Exactly," Dokja interrupts the man's tirade. "I am worthless to be sold off as a bride with them on me, so you can't send me anywhere."
The baron refuses to acknowledge the eerie pressure he feels from his son.
(Is he even his own son? Those deep and bottomless eyes make the baron question himself, even though they obviously share a similar face.)
"Get out," is the line that fell from between his gritted teeth.
A small smile blooms on Kim Dokja's lips, sending an unexplainable chill through the baron's spine.
"Go to the Kingdom of Styx."
Kim Dokja exhaled. "I don't know why you still bother to order me something you know I would never do, Your Highness."
His prince buried his head in a palm, no doubt restraining the urge to sigh in exasperation. But unfortunately for him, Kim Dokja was nothing but a stubborn force of nature.
"Kim Dokja—"
"Give it up, Your Highness," Dokja said, walking into his prince's personal space and dropping a hand to caress his wavy hair. "The only way for me to leave you is when I die."
None of them said that it would come true in mere days.
"Junghyeok-ah… we can save the world, you know?"
His prince didn't answer.
They both knew they couldn't.
"Wh—who are you?!"
The leaders of the bandits cower on Dokja's feet, trembling violently at the display of magic prowess used to subdue their entire group that was performed only by a single mage. Even though they are all grown men, the pressure from this feeble-looking young omega has all of their legs wobble in fear.
Dokja flicks his left hand, absently calling off the mana he used to tie the remaining bandits, not a bit worried that they would escape. The bandits know their chance to slip away is slim to none anyway, if the sound barrier activated around them is any indication. Their mouths dry at the sensation of being separated from the normal space, feeling as if only them and this horribly powerful mage exist in the world.
"You know who I am already, don't you?" Dokja starts, tilting his head as he stares down at one of the bandit leaders. What was his name again? Ah, yes. "Lee Sungkook, which servant of ours did you bribe my information from?"
Lee Sungkook shivers, eyes widening, trailing warily to the red gems dangling from Dokja's earrings. "I—I did no such—"
"Let's not try to uselessly fool each other, shall we? I have a tight schedule," Dokja cuts off the bandit leader's needless blabbering. "I was joking. I know you didn't even try to bribe anyone. Everybody likes to gossip. I know rumors of me have leaked despite my father's attempts to stop them."
There is no way Dokja is blind towards the buzz of hushed whispers and condescending stares he receives since he pierced his ears. Even though Dokja never leaves the barony's estate, words are harder to contain than the air. Not when he wears the earrings in broad daylights with his head held high. His father could only do so much by diverting people's attention with his and his elder children's 'accomplishments'.
By now, it's already an open secret for the citizens of Kim barony's territory that their lord's youngest omega son has somehow pierced his ears at the age of 15, no alpha in sight. Everyone fails to see why he essentially made himself not eligible to marry, but Kim Dokja doesn't care.
The rumors also say that the youngest omega son, Kim Dokja, shares none of his brothers' and sisters' talents, simply a disgraced child with a frail body and meek personality, similar to his mother. The absolute shame of the baron family.
No one told them that the Baron's omega son is a very powerful mage! Nor did anyone know of his vicious personality!
"A pity that no one informs you that I can do a little bit of magic, hmm?" Dokja voices the bandits' inner thoughts, mouth and eyes curving to a foxish smile. The bandits trembled when he said 'a little bit', shuddering at the contrast of the two façades this person has.
Dokja is very pleased to know that his father is apparently sensible—and prideful—enough to not let anyone know about his magical abilities, refusing to admit that he was intimidated by his weak-looking omega son.
"Now, let's talk about jobs, shall we?" Dokja claps his hands.
"P-pardon? Are you not gonna punish us, Y-young Master?" Lee Sungkook stutters.
Dokja tilts his head. It is the first time anyone ever calls him a young master, despite always being a noble's son.
That sounds weird.
"Don't call me that," he wrinkles his nose. "And this is your punishment. You are gonna work for me without pay. You all are to be my personal information guild." After a few moments, he added, "Hmmm... Maybe just call me 'representative.'"
The bandits' eyes grow wide. The other bandit leader—whom Dokja vaguely remembers to be called Minseob—looks like he is ready to protest. "But our specialty is—"
"Your talents to collect information are wasted to be used in petty crimes such as robbery or scam. If you were a little bit smarter, you could've gained several hundred times your current income by selling information to the rich nobles or merchants, you fools."
Something sparks in Minseob's eyes. This one is considerably smarter and more greedy than the other bandit leader, despite being second-in-command. Dokja internally sighs. He could see gears rolling inside Minseob's head, no doubt planning how to escape from Dokja's clutch and start his own information guild.
Well, Dokja just has to show that it is a futile attempt.
Red magic circle shines under their feet. The bandits shriek in panic while Dokja leisurely slices his hand to drip his blood onto the circle. As soon as he does that, the bandits all clutch the back of their necks, just above their scent glands, feeling it burn as a black choker-like mark appears under their collars.
"This mark will help you to escape from difficult situations once a day using simple magic such as invisibility or physical alterations. But know that they will also crush your throats and ensure you a painful death if you violate my orders or show disloyalty towards me," Dokja explains cheerily, smile back in place. "Ah, and don't worry, this mark won't fade even if I die."
A magic spell that won't fade after the caster dies indicates the absurdly high level of the mage's mana. Currently, the only mage in the imperium who is believed to be able to do that is only the imperial magic tower's master.
Yet somehow, none of them doubt Kim Dokja's words.
"Now that we've settled the contracts, I will now order you to bring me every information you can gather about the current state of the imperial family, from the deepest secrets you can find to the most trivial gossip. No torturing or harassing innocent people allowed. No shady side jobs either. I know it will take time, so I expect your report every month. Ah, and do not breathe any word of this to people who don't share the mark on your necks. I know it's obvious, but secrecy is your highest priority."
The bandit group can only swallow, obediently bowing to the smiling omega mage, cold sweats run through their entire bodies.
"We—we will follow your order, Representative-nim…"