Enjoy!! It took me so long to write this, and it's still probably still shitty

EDIT: I had to change this chapter, because something was wrong with wattpad, so all the comments were deleted. Sorry. 

XLI: Jungkook

Before I can get up, Jimin and Hoseok jump in front of me, their scims drawn. Even in their exhausted state, it's clear that they still have enough energy to fight.

"Show yourself!" Jimin snarls, dropping into a fighter's stance. "Or we attack." A muted laugh comes from the trees, and Hoseok's hand tightens on the hilt of his scim.

"No need for the sword, Jimin," The voice comes again, and this time, a hooded figure steps out from the shadow of the trees. A black cloak covers everything down to his feet, and a hood hides his face. I think I catch a glimpse of silver underneath, but it's gone before I can be sure. "We are friends, are we not?"

The figure drops back his hood, and Jimin chokes, stumbling backwards. Hoseok's sword falls to the ground, and my fears are confirmed.

Taehyung stands there, his face expressionless underneath the silver of his mask. He's wearing a black tunic underneath his cloak, and the dangerous looking scim that dangles from his belt is the same one that Xian had gifted him five years ago. Everything about him appears unchanged, but when I look up at his face, I can feel my heart stop.

His eyes are black.

Completely black.

And yet, to call them black is a horrible understatement. They are the color you see in the depth of night, when even ghosts take their rest. A type of vivid, barely controlled darkness that swirls like whirlpools. Filled with ancient malevolence, they glint with the hard luster of black diamonds.

"T-Taehyung!" Jimin gasps out. "You're here! You're alive! We almost thought you had―" His voice dies away as he too realizes the strangeness of Taehyung's eyes. His voice. The scim that had dropped to his side cautiously comes back up.

"Taehyung?" Hoseok whispers warily. "Is that you?"

"Of course it is." Taehyung smiles, though I notice his eyes remain cold. "Who else could it be?"

"Why are you wearing that mask?" Jimin asks. "You hate it."

"I've found it gives me a nice edge in combat. I've had to do a lot of that this week, unfortunately." He touches the liquid silver, making it ripple beneath his fingers. For the first time, I see the traces of dried blood on his scim. I back away, feeling sick.

"You're not Taehyung," Hoseok says slowly, his gaze not wavering from the silver mask. "Your eyes are different. I've only ever seen such black eyes in one other person." He draws himself to his full height, which is still a good two inches shorter than Taehyung. "Nice try, monster, but you can't fool me. I know it's you."

"Perceptive as always, Hoseok." Taehyung's smile suddenly turns chilling, and his eyes grow darker, if possible. "I wondered how long it would take you. Very impressive. It's almost worth the effort of putting a whole castle on fire to have you all here. To be honest, I didn't think you would show up."

"You set the fire?" Jimin asks, aghast. "But―but why? Armad was your home! How could you bear to see it destroyed like that?"

Taehyung, no, the monster, tilts his head. "There are many types of homes, Jimin. In this instance, Armad Castle was Taehyung's home. It was never mine. It looks much better surrounded by flames, don't you think? A nice touch of decor to add to that obsidian." As if to prove his point, a small flame ignites in his palm, lazily flickering in the fast approaching darkness. I shiver, looking away. I didn't want to see any fire after being nearly burned to death. The monster notices.

"Scared, Jungkook?" The way he says my name makes my skin crawl. "You shouldn't be. Fire is a beautiful element of nature. Control it, and nothing can best it. Not even water, if there are enough flames. You can be all-powerful. In fact, I can show you how. No one will dare defy you. As Taehyung's soulmate, you have the right to know."

I hear the sound of a scim being drawn. "Try it, and see what happens," Hoseok growls.

The monster turns to Hoseok and gestures. Immediately, Hoseok drops the scim as if burned.

"It would do you well not to stand in my way," The monster says softly. "You wouldn't want to experience the consequences. I can tell you that they are not entirely pleasant." He turns back to me, and I find that I cannot look away. His void-like eyes mesmerize me, pulling me in like a vacuum.

"Come," He spreads his arms. The monster's voice is bordering on kindness, nothing like how he had spoken to Hoseok. "Come here, Jungkook."

His words seem to ignite something in my body, some sort of unquenchable fire that is impossible to ignore. It pulls me forward against my will, and my feet skid on the ground in an attempt to stay grounded. It calls to the part of my heart that wants to see Taehyung so badly, that it would risk anything to be with him.

"Don't!" Jimin grabs my arm, effectively pulling me back. "That isn't Taehyung. Don't listen to him. He'll only hurt you if you go."

"You are mistaken, Jimin," the monster purrs. "Why would I want to hurt Taehyung's beautiful soulmate? I simply would like to share my knowledge with him. There's no harm in that." His lips curve into a smile, though this time, it looks vaguely like a threat. "Now, let him go."

"If you want him, you'll have to go through us." Hoseok brandishes his scim, and Jimin does the same. Even though they look plenty menacing in my eyes, the monster doesn't bat an eye. He shakes his head, as if astounded by their reaction.

"Such fools you all are. Do you not see that I could destroy both of you with a wave of my hand? Run while you can. I will not stop you."

"We won't run from a fight." Jimin says, and Hoseok shouts his agreement. I suddenly wish that I had brought my own scim so I could help them. But I didn't like the deathly aura that the monster radiated. He was a formidable opponent, even I could tell that much.

"You're starting to tire me," The monster says, sighing. "Fine, stay there then. I'll come." He flicks his hand, and a whoosh of wind slams into Jimin, making him fly into a nearby tree. He hits the trunk with a sickening thud, and slides down, groaning.

"Jimin!" I scream, wanting to run over to him. But my feet are rooted to the ground, and I can't seem to move. Hoseok, on the other hand, rushes to help his friend. The monster watches, faintly amused. Once he makes sure that Jimin's fine, Hoseok turns back to the monster, discarding his scim and drawing his dagger. The fire bathes his brown-gold eyes red.

"Careful with that," the monster warns. "If you stab me, it is the same thing as stabbing Taehyung. He will be the one to feel pain, not me. If I were you, I would think carefully before striking." Hoseok stops, dagger wavering in the air.

The moment of hesitation is all that the monster needs. Running at Hoseok with inhuman speed, he kicks him in the stomach with his boot, sending him flailing. When Hoseok tries to counter with his dagger, the monster ducks, drawing his own scim and bringing the hilt down on Hoseok's head. A scream sounds in the air, perhaps mine, as Hoseok crumples to the ground. The monster kicks his body a few feet away, and I can hear Hoseok let out a pained grunt.

"Remember, I warned you," The monster says, glancing disdainfully at Jimin and Hoseok's slumped forms. "It was your fault for not listening." His hard, cold eyes focus on me and I try not to cower under his gaze. The masked surface of his face is as unfeeling as ever as he makes his way towards me. I tremble, wishing that I had a knife, a stick, a stone, anything to fight him off.

But then he stops mid-step, pausing, as if listening to something. His eyes narrow, and I can see that his grip tightens on the hilt of his scim. In the distance, the sound of a wooden beam breaking from fire penetrates the air, but the monster doesn't seem to notice.

An annoyed growl leaves his lips. "Yes, well I'm not killing them, am I?" With a start, I realize that he's talking to himself.

Silence. Then, "I can't help that they're begging to be hurt. If they had simply got out of my way―" He pauses again, listening. I glance around, hoping to find a way to help Jimin and Hoseok while the monster is distracted. But all too soon, the monster shakes his head, dispelling his moment of delusion. He makes his way towards me, and this time, there's nothing stopping him.

His hands find my arm and I flinch, thinking he means me harm. But he doesn't do anything, only taking my fingers in his and looking at them. I resist the urge to yank my hand away. A ghost of a frown flits across his face as he examines my burn-covered arms. It deepens when he sees the cuts and scratches on my cheeks. Ironic, considering that he had just knocked both Jimin and Hoseok into some trees.

"You should not have been there." He finally says. "The fire wasn't meant for you. Why did you come back?"

Something inside me forces me to say the truth. "I-I wanted to see if Taehyung was alright. I saw a vision... and thought he could be in trouble. Obviously he is, if you're here." I let myself glare at the monster for just a second, before dropping my eyes.

"Vision?" The monster's gaze sharpens. "What vision?"

"That doesn't concern you!" I say, anger snapping through my tone. He merely stares at me, an expression of disapproval showing in his masked features. Suddenly, I can't bear to see his coal-black eyes where Taehyung's beautiful ruby eyes used to be. It was just wrong. This shouldn't be happening. It should be Taehyung staring down at me right now, not with contempt, but with care and love. Jimin and Hoseok shouldn't have to be leaning on trees to balance themselves just because they tried to protect me. The silver mask shouldn't be covering all of Taehyung's handsome features. All of this was wrong.

"G-give me my Taehyung back!" I say, looking him straight in the eye. It hurt to look at Taehyung's face, knowing it wasn't him. "Release your grip on his soul. He doesn't deserve any of this darkness."

"All those who died by his hand may say different." The monster traces a finger on my jawline, and I shiver. "He created me. He knew what he was getting himself into. Don't bother to try and reverse the past. It is already done. Has he not told you about the deal he made?" At my surprised expression, a faint smile appears. "No, of course he didn't. Instead, he sent you away to a place he thought I couldn't go. A good plan, really, if you had had the sense to stay there. Now," The monster shrugs. "You're here. And there's no Taehyung anymore to protect you. It leaves me free to―to―"

Suddenly, the monster seems to convulse, hand letting go of my face. An agonized scream leaves his lips and he clutches at his head and stumbles backwards. His eyes flicker frenziedly, and his breath comes out in short gasps.

"No―no! Stop! You said―" The monster lets out a strangled groan, and I trade a glance with Hoseok, who is leaning against a tree, blinking spots out of his eyes. What is going on?

Almost as if someone had pressed a switch, the monster stops moving. The only indication that he hadn't passed out is the heavy breathing of his chest, and his trembling hands. After a long moment, he slowly raises his head, and I find myself staring into a pair of crimson eyes. All the suffocating darkness has been washed away, replaced by the beautiful, vibrant color of blood.

Taehyung's eyes.

I can't believe it. No, I won't believe it. This must be one of the monster's tricks: to give me false hope and then take it away as soon as I believed it was real. To cause me pain. But when his eyes lock with mine, when he sees me standing hesitantly a few feet away, he smiles. I know that smile. I think about it all the time. And it is not one that the monster could ever recreate.

"Jungkook," he holds his arms out tentatively, as if afraid of being rejected. "My love. I missed you so much."

And in that moment I know it's real. Taehyung is standing right before me, I don't know how, but all that matters to me is that he is. Letting out a cry, I run to him, covering the distance between us with unmatched swiftness. His hug is like a warm blanket, and I fall into it, safe again in Taehyung's arms. This feeling of love has been put off for so long that it is an immediate rush of joy, and I embrace every drop of it. But it ends all too soon, as Taehyung gently pulls away after a kiss on my forehead, eyes scanning his surroundings.

"Jimin! Hoseok!" He calls, and I quickly glance up, thoroughly ashamed at myself for getting too caught up in the moment. Please let them be alright... After a second, Hoseok materializes out of the forest's shadows, with an arm slung around Jimin's shoulders. Both have new scratches on their faces from the tree's rough bark, but nothing in their bodies seem broken. I let out a sigh of relief that I hadn't realized I had been holding.

Jimin's eyes widen as he struggles to walk on his feet. "Taehyung! Is that you? Thank the Great Above! But I thought―"

"There's no time!" I'm struck by the urgency in his voice. "You three need to get out of here. The flames have died down, enough for you all to get back to the door." At the surprised looks on our faces, he sighs. "You didn't think that I was going to let it burn, did you? The same magic that protects the home you now live in is used for the door. Besides, it's a portal. If the door is burned, it will appear elsewhere in a different form."

"B-but you are coming, right?" I ask. "We're not leaving you again!" Taehyung turns to look at me, and I can see sadness and despair in his eyes. But his voice is strong when he speaks.

"You must, Jungkook. There's no other choice. I haven't won over control from the monster. I have merely managed to steal a few extra minutes to talk to you. It's fighting back as we speak. I can't hold it off for long. You all have to leave. Without me."

Hoseok nods, though I can see tears start to pool in his eyes. "If that's the only choice, we will. Stay safe, Taehyung. Make sure to come back to us when the time is right. Come on, Jungkook," He tries to reach for my arm, but I pull away. I still hadn't given up. There must be some way to make sure Taehyung came. Some way to fight off the monster completely.

"Come with us," I beg. "We can help you. Jin must have something to heal you. A concoction of herbs, or a medicine―"

"You can't save me." Taehyung's grip on my hand is tight. Urgent. "The best you can do for me is save yourself." He winces as his eyes flicker black. "Go, Jungkook! I don't want all this to be for nothing." His large hands cup my face and a soft kiss presses against my lips. "Please. For me."

"For you." My voice trembles. "For you." My hands slowly loosen their grip on his arm, finger by finger. Taehyung doesn't rush me, though I'm sure that every second is precious. He murmurs encouraging words while Hoseok and Jimin look on, both with tear streaks running down their faces. When my final finger leaves his arm, my hands seem confused, wandering in the air. Taehyung reaches for them, gently lowering them to my sides. He smiles. "Perfect. I knew you could do it." His hand caresses my hair, and I allow myself to lean into the touch. "Now, go."

This time, I don't resist when Hoseok grabs my arm to pull me out of the woods. Taehyung's eyes flicker more rapidly, and he grits his teeth. Every cell in my body is screaming at me for leaving him. For letting him suffer alone. But when I meet his eyes, I see my own desire to be reunited again, in a state of peace. To be together.

But that peace isn't now.

I let myself be led out of the tall trees, never breaking eye contact with Taehyung. Wanting to see the calming crimson color that signalled that he was still in control. As his figure starts to melt into the shadows of the trees, he kisses his fingers and holds them out to me. A gesture of love. A gesture to say goodbye to someone you love. And then Hoseok is turning my head to face front, whispering something rapidly in my ear. I barely hear him, or see the dying flames in front of me, or feel myself walking. My mind is still with Taehyung, in the forest, holding onto the final kiss he sent on his fingers.

As we're crossing through the field of half-burned wood and dying embers, the air seems to change. It becomes colder, more menacing, and seems to swirl around us, blowing at the fire. We all exchange glances, knowing exactly what was happening. Oh Taehyung...

"Go! Run!" Hoseok yells, and we all start to sprint to the door like the ten hells were at our heels. I hear something growl from the forest, but don't pause to look back, my vision focused on the door in the distance. We jump across flaming chunks of wood, clearing books scattering the field. I distinctly sense something following us, and pour more speed into my running. The door comes closer... closer... then is right in front of us, with Hoseok yelling for us to get in. He twists the door open, and bright light engulfs us as we literally jump into it.

I can still hear the monster howling for blood when the door slams shut, sending us sprawling on the grass in the serene, moonlit meadow.