Round 25: Prince Sunggyu ★ Protector of L♡VE! (2/2)

[olymficsmod]

And so, there isn’t. So far, at least.

Sunggyu is already a seasoned fighter, his enhanced abilities only make him stronger as each battle enables him to wield his staff and powers more proficiently with the increased experience. Hoya and Dongwoo are both blessed with agility and grace, and their skills increase by leaps and bounds through these fights alongside Sunggyu.

In the fortnight that has passed since the first transformation, the three Protectors have transformed no less than five times, which averages to be one battle every two to three days. Their mouse guardian is right, there is a darkness rising and it must be stopped.

The first of the five fights was triggered by Class B’s basketball team captain, who got turned into a monstrous giraffe and shot basketballs out of his front hooves. Apparently he had been mad at the new first-years who defied his orders when the transformation happened. In any case, the fight had been rather amusing since Dongwoo had a lot of fun running after basketballs, and Hoya was just dribbling them around. Sunggyu had sat on one and waved his staff around to explode the basketballs aimed at him while they were still in the air.

The second fight was because of a second-year class chairperson who mocked the bad grades of his fellow classmates so much he became a giant mockingbird.

And the third might actually be Sunggyu’s favourite because it looked hilarious. The school’s resident pervert got turned into lips. He was literally just lips with two legs. Sunggyu had laughed so much he needed to sit down, and as a result almost fell victim to the lips’ poisonous kiss.

The fourth and fifth fights were less than a day apart, giving the Protectors no time to rest and recharge in between. The monsters had been similar too, likely related, both being horned creatures that resemble unicorns if there ever were evil versions of unicorns. The first one was purple, and the second one was blue. The one other thing that was common between the both of them, was how the three Protectors have noted that they both exude extreme jealousy.

Both of them had also sworn to get revenge after they had fallen to the Rainbow Light. However, they did not return to their original human form unlike the previous monsters. Instead, they were shrouded in a cheerless grey mist, and they had disappeared when the mist cleared. It was mind-boggling. Sunggyu wondered if they might be part of the Sons of the Moon that Sir Yeobby-Dobby had mentioned, because if they were, then they either have less battle power or they might be hiding their true prowess.

It is curious, though, how the darkness has been confined to the perimeters of their city, specifically, around their school. Sunggyu came up with the theory that the seeds of darkness were planted in their school, since the two unicorn monsters that he believes to be part of the leaders of the darkness had also appeared there. After all, that seems a more plausible explanation than Dongwoo’s “That always happens in the movies! The bad guys always only attack one city and they make it seem like the world will be destroyed!” as much as Sunggyu agrees with him.

Sunggyu had spent the past day scouring the school grounds with Myungsoo for any signs of the seeds of darkness, though none of them know if they are actually literal or just a figure of speech. They supposed there was no harm in looking around, anyway. Hoya and Dongwoo made up the team that searched the perimeters of the school.

Sunggyu was reluctant at first, because too much effort. But when Hoya and Dongwoo had suggested Myungsoo go along with him, Myungsoo had given him those innocent puppy eyes look that Sunggyu couldn’t say no to even if he tried.

It is evening, and they are about to call it a day when Sunggyu’s necklace starts burning against his skin. Myungsoo has already walked ahead of him, so Sunggyu reaches out and pulls him back.

“Hyung?”

“Wait.” Sunggyu says, bending over slightly from the searing pain as he clutches at his shirt.

“Oh my god, hyung, are you alright?” Myungsoo’s tone is filled with worry as he holds Sunggyu.

Sunggyu leans into Myungsoo for support and shakes his head. “Hoya and Dongwoo...”

The younger boy doesn’t need further prompting. He immediately reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone and presses the speed dial for Dongwoo.

Dongwoo picks up before the first ring can finish. “Myungsoooo! Did you two find it?”

“No, but there’s something happening to Gyu hyung! Please come quick!”

Sunggyu manages to hold himself upright after Myungsoo hangs up, but the beads of perspiration all over his face don’t stop Myungsoo from worrying. “Th... There’s something happening, Soo.”

Then there’s laughter, and Sunggyu spins around, putting himself between Myungsoo and the newcomers.

It’s the familiar dispiriting grey mist, and now there were three figures shrouded in it.

“It’s your turn to lose, Kim Sunggyu.” The voice is mechanical, as if it has gone through some kind of vocal modification software. But Sunggyu can’t shake the feeling that he has heard this voice before. There’s just something about it...

“Your friends can’t save you anymore.” Voice #2 also has a metallic tone.

“You can’t fight us.” So does Voice #3.

A stubby, crooked finger points out from the mist.

“Get him.” It’s the first voice.

Sunggyu thinks they have him, since the pain has rendered him almost powerless. Then Sunggyu realizes the finger isn’t directed at him. It’s aimed at Myungsoo. Damn it. With or without his powers, there is no way he will let them take Myungsoo.

“Hyung...” Myungsoo’s voice is unexpectedly brave.

Sunggyu nods to him without taking his eyes off the two shrouded figures who are gliding towards him unhurriedly. It seems that isn’t the reaction Myungsoo is looking for, because he suddenly cups Sunggyu’s cheek and tilts his head sideways as Myungsoo leans forward.

Then Myungsoo presses his lips to Sunggyu’s the same moment Sunggyu’s hand flies up instinctively to grab at his burning necklace. The temperature of the necklace drops to Sunggyu’s skin temperature instantaneously the moment their lips touch. The next second, Sunggyu’s enveloped in the white light he knows all too well now as his transformation begins.

He vaguely notices two sudden flashes of white light materializing on either side of him as he spins, suspended above the ground while his outfit morphs. Once he’s on the ground, Sunggyu makes an elaborate wave of his staff and hits the ground hard with its base. The vibration stirs up the dust and makes the trees shake slightly. “Protector of Love, Prince Roseus!”

Beside him, Hoya and Dongwoo emerge from their own transformations and step up to stand with him.

Hoya spins his staff like he is a martial arts professional from the olden days. “Protector of Peace, Prince Aureus!”

Dongwoo swishes his staff high in the air and causes a faint ripple across the cloud surfaces. “Protector of Joy, Prince Corallius!”

“We are the Children of the Sun, Protectors of Earth. Together, we command you to renounce this darkness and embrace the light!” The three Protectors announce in 99.9% synchronization. (It is actually perfect synchronization, but they like to give themselves some leeway for minor errors and also space for improvement.)

Sunggyu turns to look at Myungsoo, still surprised at how Myungsoo’s kiss had made the burning stop. Myungsoo smiles at Sunggyu, and Sunggyu doesn’t care anymore.

“Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Sunggyu grins and nods at the black-haired boy.

Hoya clears his throat loudly. “Leave the lovey-dovey stuff for later, please. We have a fight to get on with.”

Sunggyu turns back.

The mist in front of them slowly dissipates, and the three figures finally reveal their true faces.

“Woohyun.” Sunggyu says through gritted teeth.

“Why, yes. Did you miss me?” Woohyun says smugly. “But I go by another name now...”

Sungyeol and Sungjong stand in a line with Woohyun. Then they wave their dark wands in the same action.

Leaf green sparkles surround Woohyun. “Warrior of Pride, Lord Viridis!”

Blue dust the colour of Sungyeol’s hair hover around him. “Warrior of Strength, Lord Caesicius!”

Bubbles with a purple tint the shade of Sungjong’s hair rise behind him. “Warrior of Beauty, Lord Purpureus!”

“The Commanders of Earth unite! We, the Sons of Moon, will unify the world with darkness! Defy us and face our wrath!”

Hoya barely stops himself from snorting, and Sunggyu almost can’t too.

At least it finally occurs to Sunggyu why all it took was Myungsoo’s kiss for his necklace to stop hurting him. Woohyun represents pride, so he must have been the one to cast the spell that had made the Protector’s necklace bring pain to the wearers. Love must have been the only thing able to overcome that dark force.

Sunggyu glances at Hoya and Dongwoo after he makes that connection, wondering what they had done to not be affected. He can’t decide if the faint redness in Hoya’s cheek or the slight puffiness of Dongwoo’s lips mean anything... Alright, he knows they so do, but now isn’t the time to probe or make wiggly eyebrows.

The three Warriors are clad in rather stylish outfits, if Sunggyu may say.

Woohyun, despite his height in comparison to his tall counterparts, looks suave and charming decked in black from shoulder to toe. The outfit resembles army mess dress uniforms, except the colour scheme for Woohyun is black with green accents. The line of buttons in the middle of his coat are a dark green, and the form-fitting pants are black with a leaf green stripe on the sides. A classy nondescript pastel green bow completes his formal look.

Sungyeol and Sungjong wear the same uniforms, as if they are part of an army squad, except Sungyeol’s has blue accents, and Sungjong’s has purple accents. Their knee-high boots are polished so well they almost shine.

All in all, they look less ridiculous than the Protectors do, and they know it.

“What’s with the anime outfits? You guys cosplaying?” Sungyeol laughs obnoxiously.

Sunggyu rolls his eyes. “Let’s just settle this.”

Woohyun snickers. “You think it’s that easy, Kim Sunggyu?”

Before Sunggyu can get another word in, Woohyun waves his wand and around them, ten dark figures descend from out of nowhere. Then one of them grabs Myungsoo and everyone disappears at once. There is no mist this time, they just vanish into thin air.

Sunggyu stares at the spot Myungsoo was in, then at where the self-proclaimed Commanders were standing. Then he looks at Hoya and Dongwoo, eyes wide as he begins to panic. And Sunggyu never panics. "What am I going to-"

It is then that a dark fog rises around them, effectively trapping them.

"Oh, come on." Hoya mutters under his breath.

Dongwoo squeezes Sunggyu's shoulder. "Don't worry, hyung, we'll get him back."

Sunggyu nods.

“I’ll take care of this smokescreen,” Dongwoo continues, then he points his staff toward the sky, “With my Wave of Joy!” Dongwoo draws back his staff and twirls around in a circle.

During Dongwoo’s brief introduction of himself earlier, he had made the slight ripple in the clouds. This time, he harnesses energy from the setting sun and unleashes a whirlwind that clears the fog like a tidal wave sweeping across the land.

“What do we do now?” Hoya asks, glancing at Sunggyu.

“I... protect... my love?”

Dongwoo blinks at Sunggyu and Hoya raises his brows.

“I am the Protector of Love, right?” So Sunggyu raises his staff and looks up at the sky. “I need to find Myungsoo,” He says with utmost sincerity and faith.

There is nothing but silence that ensues, and Sunggyu supposes this is not part of his powers. He is about to give up, lowering his staff gradually as he sighs. But there’s a beam of fluorescent pink light that shoots out from the rose atop his staff, then the beam spreads until it’s shining in every direction in 360 degrees. Sunggyu takes it as his cue to hold up his staff as high as he can, and the rose continues to shine the light persistently for the next ten seconds before narrowing into a beam again.

It is showing them a direction.

Sunggyu, Hoya, and Dongwoo exchange glances, then Sunggyu nods and the three of them kick off simultaneously with their winged boots, leaping high into the air and bounding in the direction Sunggyu’s rose is guiding them.

“So, any ideas on how to take down so many of them?” Hoya asks loudly as the wind roars in their ears due to their speed.

“Cross our hearts and hope not to die?” Dongwoo suggests.

“That’s real joyful, Dongwoo.” Hoya deadpans.

“Didn’t Orange Sensei say something about full potential the other time?” Sunggyu knows the orange mouse goes by the name Sir Yeobby-Dobby but he can’t bring himself to utter those words, besides, it is such a mouthful that Dongwoo always trips over the words. One time Hoya refers to him as Orange Sensei and then the name just stuck.

Dongwoo nods.

“But he didn’t mention how.” Hoya states.

“We’ll figure it out. We have to.” Sunggyu speeds up before coming to an abrupt halt when the beam ends.

They’re in the middle of a huge clearing, surrounded by what seems like endless woods. The three Protectors stand back to back in a circle as they survey the situation.

The ten dark figures stand equidistant from each other at the perimeter of the circular clearing. Myungsoo is nowhere to be seen. Sunggyu assumes Woohyun has taken him.

“Ready, guys?”

“If you are.” Hoya answers.

“I always am.” Dongwoo replies.

“Then let’s take them down.” Sunggyu declares.

So they do. They run out a couple of steps from each other, but still maintain their positions so everyone’s back is covered. The ten dark figures charge at the same time, and each of them is left to deal with three, occasionally four, as they rotate around an invisible axis while fighting.

Flashes of red, pink, and yellow fill the area and are especially bright against the gradually darkening sky. It seems ominous that the dark is slowly blanketing the area, and their light flashes are far too lonely despite the constancy.

“Do this things even die?” Sunggyu yells above the racket, swinging his staff in a semi-circle to emit continuous short blasts at the dark figures nearest to him. They stumble backwards when hit, but none of them look even the slightest bit hurt.

“Shall we go for Rainbow Light right now?” Hoya proposes.

“On three!” Sunggyu shouts. “Two! One!”

The Protectors turn towards each other and tap the spheres atop their staffs together. “By the power of the Sun, we, the Protectors of Earth, cast on you the Rainbow Light of Hope!”

A rainbow-coloured light bursts from the centre of convergence and swirls around them.

“Now!” Sunggyu commands.

They pull their staffs away from each other and spin around to face their enemies again, the rainbow light that surrounds them shines ever so brightly as they aim the roses outwards. The three concentrated beams of colourful light hit the dark figures one by one, and they drop like flies to the ground.

“Are they down?” Dongwoo looks around cautiously.

The rainbow light has dimmed in the meantime, and the only lights left are now the glowing spheres atop their respective staffs.

Sunggyu stumbles backwards and ends up sitting on the ground, chest heaving. “I’m not sure if we have enough for a second Rainbow Light,” he admits.

Hoya and Dongwoo grab one of his hands each and pulls him up to his feet.

“You said we’ll figure it out.” Dongwoo reminds him.

Sunggyu sighs. “Myungsoo...”

“Yes, so get yourself together because we’ve got some villains to catch and your boyfriend to save.” Hoya pats Sunggyu’s back.

An evil cackle suddenly echoes in the woods around them.

“Catch us if you can,” comes Woohyun’s sing-song voice.

Sunggyu grits his teeth. “Nam Woohyun, you don’t even understand the meaning of love at all, this is why you don’t deserve it.”

“Oh, do I?”

Woohyun, Sungyeol, and Sungjong step out of the cover of the gloomy woods together, with Woohyun facing Sunggyu, Sungyeol facing Dongwoo, and Sungjong facing Hoya. The three Protectors subtly grip their staffs tighter as they prepare for the showdown.

Then Woohyun grabs someone from behind him and holds him in an elbow lock around the throat, his other hand yanking on the captive’s hair to show his face.

“Soo!” Sunggyu blurts out.

Myungsoo has his hands bound behind him, and a thick green tape covers his mouth. In the darkness, Sunggyu vaguely makes out the traces of blood that mar Myungsoo’s beautiful face.

“I’m the one you want, Woohyun. Let him go.” Sunggyu hisses.

“Nuh-uh.” Woohyun shakes a finger at Sunggyu and smiles. “That’s not how this game is played.”

“I honestly don’t have any patience for your games, you third-rate army general.”

“I what?” Woohyun gasps in an over-dramatic fashion.

“Should have added some shoe lifts in those shoes if you genuinely wanted to make yourself look intimidating,” Sunggyu shrugs.

There is steam spouting out of Woohyun’s ears at this point and his face is rapidly reddening.

“Oops, you already did? Oh, I’m so sorry.” Sunggyu snickers.

“Why, you-”

Success, Sunggyu smiles to himself as Woohyun gets distracted by his mild taunting and raises his wand for an attack, in the process leaving Myungsoo free to run. Of course, Sunggyu has no intention of just standing by and watching, so he swiftly waves his staff at Woohyun and unleashes his Flame of Love.

Woohyun is knocked backwards onto the ground by the impact from the surprise attack, and Sunggyu takes the opportunity to dash towards Myungsoo and sweep him off his feet and into his arms. He touches the green tape and the ropes with the sphere atop his staff and the constrains disappear with a red shimmer.

“Oh my god, Soo.” Sunggyu wraps his arms tightly around the boy.

Myungsoo smiles weakly and pecks Sunggyu’s cheek. “I’ll be fine, hyung. Go do what you have to.”

Sunggyu nods. “Just yell if you need me.”

“Go back there and win this, hyung.”

“Your wish is my command, love.” Sunggyu grins before charging back into the battle area where Woohyun is just recovering and getting back on his feet.

Woohyun doesn’t wait to attack this time. He flicks his wand in complex movements, releasing green bursts of electricity and sparks at Sunggyu.

Around them, Sungyeol is shooting blue fires at Dongwoo, and Sungjong is striking at Hoya with snake-like purple ribbons.

Sunggyu fends off Woohyun’s attacks by skipping around nimbly, awaiting a window of opportunity to hit Woohyun with another Flame of Love. But Woohyun advances on Sunggyu quickly and the distance between them decreases till they are in range for hand-to-hand combat. Sunggyu resists a smirk. No one can beat him if it comes to this. Stomping his staff on Woohyun’s foot, Sunggyu elbows him in the chest and follows up with a hard punch to his jaw. Woohyun wipes the blood off the corner of his lips before looking up to face Sunggyu again.

Woohyun looks different now.

The whites of his eyes are now completely black, and his pupils are a menacing lime green. There is also an aura surrounding Woohyun that had not been there before, and it makes Woohyun’s silhouette glow in a ghastly green. He appears to be some leveled-up main boss. Sunggyu risks a quick glance at how Hoya and Dongwoo are doing, and he sees that Sungyeol and Sungjong have also evolved into this higher-level version of themselves.

In other words, the Protectors are fucked unless they level up too. Problem is, how?

Woohyun aims a stream of green electricity at Sunggyu and he falls backwards, his limbs momentarily paralyzed. The Warrior of Pride smiles smugly. “This is what you deserve, Kim Sunggyu.”

Sunggyu snorts and spits a mouthful of blood to the side. “Deserve?” He laughs bitterly. “I’ve been told that my entire life, Woohyun. So, sure, I deserve everything I have coming to me because I’m nothing but a useless fucking piece of trash on this Earth. I’m not worthy of love, happiness, or bliss, because I am inferior. I am not one of you, who act so just and right, who ace all the exams, whose existence is such a great blessing to society because oh, look at all the prospective contributions you can make in the future!”

Sunggyu pauses, and he realizes that Sungyeol and Sungjong have also halted and are listening to him. Dongwoo and Hoya lay almost defeated on the ground just a few metres away from him.

“I am trash-We are trash for taking up the precious space on this Planet, and breathing the same air as all of you. But that’s fine. Because you know what, Woohyun?” Sunggyu clenches his fist, and finds that the paralysis is wearing off. He grips his staff but makes no other movements.

“We don’t need to prove anything. Not to ourselves, and definitely not to any of you. We don’t need your approval. We don’t need the society’s. All that’s precious and true in the world is love, and that’s what we need-what we all need. It’s not just romantic love too, it’s familial love, it’s the love between friends, it’s the love for everything that is good, and the love of life, of just being. When you truly understand that, then you will know...”

Sunggyu hears the flap of wings but he doesn’t know where it comes from, but the next moment he’s on his feet again, and Hoya and Dongwoo are standing with him.

Woohyun has regrouped with Sungyeol and Sungjong, though none of them seem affected by Sunggyu’s speech.

“You’re so full of shit, Kim Sunggyu. If you think you’re so high and mighty, then I’ll put you back in your rightful place when you die tonight.” Woohyun growls.

The Warriors rise into the air with the Moon as their backdrop.

The Protectors hold out their staffs in sync. “We are the Protectors of Earth-”

For the first time, they don’t get to complete their lines. All three of them are lifted into the air at the same time, and spun around in circles so fast Sunggyu can’t tell what is happening. When it stops, Sunggyu hears the wings again, and he turns, expecting to see feathers sprouting from his back. There isn’t any. Instead, Sunggyu sees the silhouette of wings casted on the ground by the starlight. They do have wings now, but they are invisible to the eye.

Woohyun and the Warriors wait no longer. “By the Power of the Moon, we command you to heed under the Advanced Supremacy of Darkness!” They combine their powers into a great crackling ball of electricity and hurl it towards the Protectors.

“By the Power of the Sun and the Stars, we cast on you the Extremely High Level Rainbow Light of Hope!” A huge ball of rainbow-coloured light emerges from where their staffs touch, and they launch it right back at the Warriors.

The two contrasting balls of light and darkness cause a massive blinding explosion at contact, and everyone is thrown backwards.

The dust from the explosion hangs in the air like a fog, and when Sunggyu opens his eyes, he can’t see anything.

“Dongwoo!” He calls out softly, unsure where his friends are.

“I’m here, hyung, hang on!”

Then a soft blue glow ripples through the fog until it dissipates completely.

That’s when Sunggyu realizes that he is still being suspended in mid-air, and so are Hoya and Dongwoo. It’s their wings that are holding them up, the gentle flapping audible to him again now that he’s aware of it.

“Can I touch it?” Dongwoo asks Hoya.

Sunggyu turns to look at them.

“Touch what?” Hoya asks, scandalized.

“Your wings, you idiot!”

“We can play with them in bed later-”

Sunggyu rolls his eyes. “Guys.” He will definitely have to find some time for some probing when they get back. How his two best friends have managed to get into a relationship without him noticing is very troubling. How they have managed to keep it from him for however long is even more troubling. Well, they have a lot of explaining to do.

But that’s alright, because they will have time.

Sunggyu glances at their enemies. Woohyun, Sungyeol, and Sungjong are leaning against each other in a daze on the ground, defeated.

“You will continue to stay with us, right, Orange Sensei?” Dongwoo asks.

“Yes, yes, the Sons of the Moon may have been defeated for now. But the seeds of darkness have not been completely eradicated yet.” Sir Yeobby-Dobby clambers onto Dongwoo’s lap and nibbles on the sunflower seed he’s holding.

The Children of the Sun are gathered in Sunggyu’s room again, exactly one week after they took down the Sons of the Moon. It doesn’t seem like they had been through that much, because nothing has changed for them. School goes on as usual, the mockery goes on as usual. But everything is normal, so that’s probably good enough.

The Protectors do, however, still have their invisible wings that can only be seen as shadows when illuminated by starlight. Sunggyu had had a lot of fun cuddling with Myungsoo because of them since no one can actually see them, but they are so warm and fluffy to the touch.

Sir Yeobby-Dobby disappears out into the garden for some suntanning, leaving the four boys in the room.

They look at each other for a long moment, touch their necklaces at the same time, and smile. The world may not think highly of them, but that’s okay, they know their place in it now.

Love, Joy, and Peace-as long as they have these in their hearts, nothing is too hard to overcome.

~ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ~

“Does it really matter who we are? Or what we are? We’re still us and we’ll always be us, the hopeless students of Class H, yet also the mighty Protectors of Earth.

We’ve been tasked with saving the world, but at the same time, we don’t need the approval of the world. Superheroes often do not get the acclamation they should, but does that stop them from doing what’s right? No. I don’t think of myself as a superhero, no, I’m not nearly as great as one. But what I am, is good. So this is what I’ve chosen to do for this beautiful Planet that I live in.

And that’s all that matters.

With these powers, with my friends, and with him by my side, I am already soaring.”
Poll