Seokga and Hwanin both flinch as Mireuk screams, the truth of their betrayal finally evident. They lured him here, to this cave underneath the Seocheongang River, under the false pretense of a bit of “family spelunking” (it had been Seokga’s genius idea, of course) only to commit unspeakable treason. Hwanin’s hand reaches out to grip Seokga’s as Mireuk twists and thrashes in murderous fury, unable to access his magic through the bonds, which Yeomra crafted from the bones of prisoners who never, ever escaped.

“It’s useless, Father!” Seokga shouts. Blood leaks from his nose into his mouth, and his fine, dark green hanbok has practically been torn to shreds. “There is no escape!”

Mireuk roars again, and there is no trace of sanity on his father’s formerly handsome face as it twists and contorts. This is the problem with being a creation god—the curse of insanity comes with the unspeakable power. Hwanin staggers, leaning on Seokga’s shoulder, as the two gods watch their father and former emperor thrash against his confines.

“It could have been patricide!” Seokga is screaming, fury coursing through his veins like molten lava. Centuries of humiliation, of rejection, flash through his memories. That fucking flower-growing contest. “It could have been patricide, you fucking bastard—”

“Seokga,” Hwanin rasps. His brother hasn’t fared any better than he has. Half of Hwanin’s long black hair has been singed off, and even his immortal healing strengths have yet to smooth out the mottled bruises on his face, the split lip, and his missing front tooth. “It’s over. We…we must go. Come, Seokga…”

But Mireuk’s roars have turned to laughs that send chills running down Seokga’s spine. “Seokga,” Mireuk spits, eyes glinting in the darkness. “Seokga, my son.”

Hwanin is tugging insistently at his robes, but Seokga remains still, baring his teeth as he glowers at his father.

“You can free me, Seokga,” Mireuk says, and Seokga fucking hates how Mireuk has suddenly, conveniently, remembered that he has a second son only under these circumstances. “Free me from these bonds and all will be forgiven. My son, my son. It’s not too late to do the right thing…”

“Fuck off,” Seokga hisses, angry tears smarting in his eyes. His rage goes deeper than the crimes Mireuk has committed against humanity. He feels like a child again, rejected by his idol at every turn. “You will stay here, Father, for all of eternity. You will become little but a desiccated corpse, sustained only by the smallest deliveries of the worst fucking foods.” The cave has been enchanted by Jacheongbi, who can wield control over agriculture, to force-feed Mireuk enough to keep him from dying. An unnecessary precaution, since if Mireuk were to reincarnate as a baby, the baby would find itself in the chains as well—but the thought does not sit well with the two brothers. “And I will never think of you again.”