#tjos

Synopsis: Brought together by the impending vampire-human war, eight men from vastly different origins band together on a quest to find a long-forgotten artifact that will restore order to the continent of Gudae.

Author’s Note: howdy, y’all :^) I mentioned it once before, but I wanted to again let everyone know that I have been writing an Ateez fantasy fic on ao3. It’d be neat if y’all could check it out. I figured posting the first chapter here might bring some more exposure to the story, so I hope you all like it!

Chapter 1: The Sunless Mountain

"Your Majesty."

The prince stood before the king and bowed, his black and red outer garments crinkling with the movement. The great hall, usually filled with the bickering of the court and the simmering rage of the king, was now silent as the heir to the throne of the Sunless Mountain announced his return.

"You have returned from frolicking in the glorified tundra, I see," His Majesty scoffed, his booming voice filling the silent hall as his dark red eyes looked down at his only son.

"I have, Your Majesty," the prince replied bitterly as he straightened out from his bow, being careful not to look up at the glaring eyes resembling his own.

"Crown Prince Seonghwa, it is good to see that you have returned to the Sunless Mountain," Master Cho, leader of the Cho Clan of the Western Peak, greeted.

"Indeed," Lady Shin, leader of the Shin Clan of the Northern Peak, added icily, "it is good to see that the Crown Prince remembers which is his home."

Seonghwa contemplated a response but decided it was best not to anger the court he would more than likely inherit. He would no doubt have time for that once he succeeds his father though he hopes they themselves would have all been succeeded by their heirs by then.

The great hall remained silent for a moment, for once Lady Shin spoke, no one would dare challenge. She was a stern woman with sharp features and eyes so dark they were almost the color of a starless night sky.

"Has the Snow King enlightened us with any useful information or was your journey over to the Glass Kingdom just for pleasure?" King Park asked, his patience wearing thin.

"He's stated nothing we haven't heard before, Your Majesty," Seonghwa replied tensely.

Members of the court snickered at the answer. This Crown Prince of theirs, though promising in skill and talent, was terribly unmotivated in his kingdom's affairs, leading them to view him as a good-for-nothing failure that they hope may be succeeded by one of their own. However, with one glance from the Crown Prince, the hall was once again silent. He may have been viewed as a good-for-nothing heir, but he still inherited the same deadly gaze and dominating aura of his father.

"So it seems to be the latter," His Majesty sighed disapprovingly, "you may go; there are people that are actually trying to be productive members of society."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Seonghwa said with a bow before leaving the great hall with the grace only a member of the royal family could possess.

He retreated to his often unoccupied quarters which consisted of an entire section of the palace reserved only for him and those that served him. It was a servant's dream to work in the Crown Prince's quarters since there was barely any work to be done. The Crown Prince spent most of his time in the Glass Kingdom, a beautiful kingdom carved into the Mountains of Perrenial Winter. This meant that there was no one to attend to for the greater part of the year. Though even when he was in the Sunless Mountain, the Crown Prince's neat and orderly nature also meant that the multitude of servants did not have much to do other than simply enjoy the fact that they live in such a beautiful palace.

Before reaching the personal library he often cooped himself up in when visiting his kingdom, Seonghwa stopped to admire the stream that flowed through his quarters. The stream glistened ironically with the light of the sunset casting down upon it.

Despite the kingdom's name, the mountain range in which the kingdom stood was filled with daylight. It was only named the Sunless Mountain because the inhabitants were the descendants of the Night Legion, a group of rogue vampires who destroyed the oppressive regime of the Heavenly Kingdom. The Heavenly Kingdom was arrogant and likened themselves to the Sun, using it as a motif to signify dominance over all vampires. To spite the spirits of the dead leaders of the Heavenly Kingdom, the Night Legion, who also named their legion out of spite for their enemy, named their growing empire the Sunless Mountain.

The history was well-known by the subjects of the Sunless Mountain. The Night Legion, once led by six rebels, united under one leader. Park Kyunghwa was the eldest of the group and the most well-received by the members of the legion. She became the first monarch of the Sunless Mountain with the support of the other five leaders, Shin Hyunjin, Cho Ilwoo, Hwang Jiyoung, Woo Jinseok, and Jeon Yoonsung. These leaders created clans within the kingdom which later became known as the Five Great Clans of the Mountain, or the Five Clans for short.

Just as Seonghwa was about to continue to make his way towards the library, he heard the hushed voices of a group of servants from a near distance.

"So that's the Crown Prince? I heard he was handsome, but the word 'handsome' feels like a wildly insulting understatement," one of the servants, a girl, mused.

"He's away for so long, I often almost forget just how breathtaking he is. It's like a celestial being has graced us with his presence," another servant, this time a boy, fawned.

"How can you forget a face like that?!" another servant questioned incredulously.

"I said 'almost', you dimwitted toad," the boy retorted, finally forcing out the embarrassed laughter Seonghwa tried to hold back when he started overhearing their conversation.

The sound of Seonghwa's laughter both alarmed and enchanted the group of servants. This was enough of a distraction for them not to notice the threatening presence looming behind them.

"Is this really how the servants of the Crown Prince behave themselves?"

The servants quickly turned to see the owner of the voice, which pierced the air like ice-cold daggers, and felt that their souls almost left their bodies upon seeing who it was behind them.

"Lady Shin," Seonghwa called out, having also turned around after having recognized the voice.

Lady Shin stood proudly, her waving red robes making her look like a goddess who had come down from the heavens to bring justice to a broken world.

"Your Highness," Lady Shin bowed, making her way to where Seonghwa was standing.

Seeing that neither Lady Shin nor the Crown Prince was paying them any mind, the servants scurried away, grateful to have escaped with their lives.

"What brings you here, Lady Shin?" Seonghwa asked.

"Am I not allowed to visit my nephew when I please or is that suddenly forbidden?" Lady Shin scoffed before giving Seonghwa a gentle smile.

Seonghwa's mother, the late Queen of the Sunless Mountain, was Lady Shin's sister. When his mother passed away, Lady Shin took it upon herself to raise her sister's son to make sure the king, a man known for his boiling temper, did not pass on his fiery personality to his son. She raised him between the palace and the Northern Peak, teaching him the importance of righteousness. However, unlike the other disciples of the Shin Clan, Lady Shin taught Seonghwa that being kind and understanding was also just as important as being stern and just. These were things the other disciples would have been taught at home, so she only did so in order to ensure that Seonghwa and the other disciples were receiving the same education. Besides, her sister was the softer one of the two and would no doubt want her son to be fluent in empathy and compassion.

"I have not known you to ever show up unannounced to someone else's dwelling," Seonghwa responded, returning the smile.

Lady Shin sighed, looking out to the horizon. The sky had already become dark, and the reflection of the twinkling stars replaced the glaring sun in the gurgling stream.

"Does what you came here to say weigh down upon you so heavily, Lady Shin?" Seonghwa asked, looking down at his aunt with concern.

ibeta and me were talking about fell judge sans and i got inspired.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8577964/chapters/19667371

you all should read this.

this is the shit. the good shit

go over there and show love for this fic!!