The hall emptied slowly, staff filing out with murmured praise still echoing from the rehearsal. Monarch had disappeared behind the stage doors, their laughter faint but weighted—like they were laughing just to breathe again.
Equinox stayed behind.
The five of them sat in the dim rows, the neon exit signs casting long shadows across their faces. No fans, no cameras, just silence and the unspoken truth hanging heavy in the air.
Rex was the first to speak. His voice was low, tight with frustration. "He's lying."
No one asked who. They all knew.
Kai leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "We felt it too. Vatu hasn't let go. He's tightening his grip." His usual calm edge cracked, anger slipping through. "And Yul… he's letting him."
Hyun, usually the quiet one, crossed his arms. "Not letting. Fighting. You saw it—he kept pulling back, forcing himself to smile. If he had completely given in, he wouldn't be sitting here with us."
"But how long before that smile breaks?" Rex snapped, his voice echoing against the empty seats. He turned to Yul, who still hadn't spoken, his posture too still, his face too composed. "How long before it's not you talking anymore?"
Yul finally looked up. His eyes caught the light, sharp and unreadable. "I told you already," he said evenly. "I have it under control."
The silence that followed wasn't belief—it was disbelief.
Rin leaned forward, his tone sharper than usual. "You're not the only one who remembers Vatu, Yul. We all know what he's capable of. You think he'll just whisper and wait? He's building something. Using you to do it."
Tell them it's nothing. Tell them you're stronger. Make them doubt themselves, not you.
Vatu's voice hissed in Yul's head, and Yul clenched his fists in his lap so hard his knuckles burned. He forced out words like stone. "I said I've suppressed him. End of discussion."
But even as he said it, his body betrayed him—a twitch in his jaw, the faint tremor of his fingers.
Rex swore under his breath, pushing to his feet. "No. It's not the end. If you're going to lie to us, then at least lie better." He raked his hands through his hair, pacing the aisle. "We're not blind. We're your family, Yul. And right now, we're watching you slip away."
The words hit harder than any accusation.
Kai stood, steady as always, but his eyes carried weight. "We're not going to abandon you. But if you keep lying… we won't be able to save you either."
For the first time, Yul's mask cracked. A flicker of something haunted passed over his face—fear, shame, maybe both. His lips parted, as if to confess, as if to finally let them in.
And then Vatu's voice roared through him, sharp and cruel:
If you tell them, I will break them first. I will burn them down before your eyes. Do you want their blood on your hands, Yul?
His mouth closed. His shoulders tensed. And when he finally spoke, his voice was calm again, too calm.
"I said I'm fine."
The lie echoed, heavy as stone.
The rest of Equinox exchanged looks, their frustration melting into dread. They knew. They all knew. Yul wasn't fine. Vatu was winning.
And in the quiet of that empty hall, they realized something far darker: Monarch had just leveled up to fight demons. But the real war might start inside Equinox.