Hope you enjoy! :)

Totally not related, but Blackpink finally released a comeback!!!!!

https://youtu.be/ioNng23DkIM

Okay, on with the story....

V: Jungkook 

"Let us talk."

The King slowly rose from his obsidian throne, not breaking eye contact with me. I squirmed underneath his critical gaze. After a minute of intense staring, the King sighed.

"You don't feel it, do you?"

"Excuse me? Feel what?" I ventured to ask, shuffling my feet awkwardly on the marble tiles.

"The bond." He looked almost dejected. "You don't feel anything in your heart when you look at me, correct?"

"Uh..." If I did feel anything, it was probably fear and anxiety, but somehow I didn't think that was the answer he was looking for. "I'm sorry." I mumbled

The King waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Don't be. It's not your fault. Humans are naturally dull to these kinds of feelings. Impressive minds, yes, but not very perceptive hearts, those humans." I briefly wondered if he was trying to insult my species in a nice-ish way. I decided he was, but made no comment.

He sighed, pacing around in front of his throne. I watched him, curiosity building up inside of me like a fountain.

"If I may ask, what exactly was the answer you were looking for?" I asked after a moment. He turned to stare at me again, and I gulped. I didn't think I would ever get used to those dark eyes.

"Jungkook, has Jimin explained to you the concept of soulmates?" he suddenly asked, sitting back down on his throne.

"Er... he's mentioned the word a few times, but he never really explained it in detail." Had he been supposed to? I just hoped that Jimin wouldn't get in trouble for not explaining it to me. But the King didn't look angry. In fact, he nodded, as if that made sense.

"You see, every vampire has a soulmate somewhere in the world. It's a concept that's more well known with werewolves, but we have it too. Of course, most vampires live life without ever meeting their soulmate, since the vampire world is so big. But the lucky ones that do, usually never part with them. A soulmate is someone chosen for us by the stars, and someone who we should cherish and care for until the end of our time." He looked wistfully out into nothing, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"Have you met your soulmate yet?" I timidly asked, and I could swear his dark eyes turned a little lighter and happier than before.

"I have... if they would accept me." he whispered, standing up yet again, and slowly making his way down the long marble stairs towards me.

I instinctively backed away, not wanting to get any closer to the Vampire King. He didn't seem like the type who would kill me instantly, but it was always good to take precautions. Besides, I didn't exactly trust him yet. A vivid picture of the victims of the vampire attacks flashed in my mind.

The King stopped a few feet away from me, an unreadable expression flickering across his face as he saw me back away. Holding out his hands, he looked at me. "Don't worry," he murmured, taking a step forward. I took one back, gripping onto the railing. "I won't hurt you."

"Please, I don't know who you are, but please get away from me." I didn't know where I had gotten the strength to say those words, but they tumbled out of my mouth. This time, obvious hurt flashed through the King's eyes, and he stopped walking.

We both stared at each other warily, before the King broke the silence.

"Taehyung."

"Excuse me?"

"That's my name. Taehyung."

"Oh."

The uneasy silence resumed, neither of us wanting to look away from the other. Suddenly, Taehyung shook his head slowly, eyes turning a bright, fiery red. The color was so different from the pitch black I was used to seeing, that I took another step back, shaking. Taehyung stared sadly at me, burning eyes now focused on my face.

"You still don't get it, do you?" he sighed, eyes still boring into mine.

"Get what?" I was now utterly confused.

He seemed to lose his patience; hands clenched into fists, and I could see small flickers of fire wreathing his face. I was sure I was going to die.

"You're my soulmate Jungkook! My soulmate I've been waiting for for more than 300 years!"

WHAT.

I felt the world tip beneath my feet, and suddenly, the throne room walls seemed to be closing in. There was no way, just no way. How could I, a simple human teenager from London, be the soulmate of a powerful vampire king who ruled half of the vampire world? It just didn't make any sense.

But...

In its own weirdly stupid way, it did.

Why else would Baekhyun have been sent to watch over me for all my life, killing any vampires who posed a threat to my existence? And Jimin wouldn't have kidnapped me in the middle of the night if he hadn't realized that I was such an important figure in this war. It also explained how Cassius immediately let us in when he found out that 'I was the one.'

All the puzzle pieces were falling into place.

And it wasn't a good feeling.

Before I could even register what I was doing, I backed away even more, shaking my head. "No... no! This can't be true! I'm not your soulmate. You've got to be mistaken!"

Taehyung's eyes flickered with unseen fire as he shook his head. "The stars never lie."

"NO!" I yelled, not caring that I was now being seriously disrespectful. "You're wrong! This time, the stars made a serious mistake. I'm a human, and you're a vampire! It doesn't make any sense!"

"It doesn't have to make sense," Taehyung growled, flames flickering faster around his hands. "I'm fated to be with you, and you're fated to be with me. This is all about fate and destiny; sense has no place in this argument."

By this time, I was shaking, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. My grip on the iron banister became crushing, and my knuckles were bloodless. I couldn't believe just how wrong this day had turned out to be. Right now, all I wanted to do was curl up in my bed, and sleep until all this horror had passed.

But I couldn't.

Well aware that I was getting closer and closer to the jagged edge of the hall, I stopped walking. Taehyung stopped as well, simply staring at me with those fiery eyes full of sadness and a bit of hope.

"Please..." my voice cracked horribly. "Can't you do something to stop it?"

Taehyung's expression softened, red eyes losing some of its fire. "I understand that this is hard for you to accept Jungkook, but even I can't change the wheels of fate. But I promise that I will protect you. I love you, and I hope that in time, you will love me back."

"You barely know me!" I yelled, once again starting to back away. "How can you say that you love me?" I was now crying, not caring how pathetic I looked.

What happened next seemed to be in slow motion.

My right foot slipped on the marble tiles, and I let go of the banister in alarm, trying to steady my balance. That only resulted in my left foot skidding out from underneath me, leaving me sliding across the slippery polished floor. Taehyung reached an arm out to help me, but his efforts seemed futile as I tried to grab at the railings for support.

My foot hit the jagged edge of the broken hallway, and I screamed.

Suddenly, there was no ground beneath me.

I was falling.

Falling into the inky black void which swirled and hissed menacingly around me. I twisted my body to try and reach up to the solid ground above me, (A/N: that sounds so weird lol) but it seemed to get farther and farther away.

I closed my eyes, giving up and accepting my fate as the person who slipped and fell to their death into an unknown black substance. My only regret was that I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to my parents before I took my last breath.

I steadied myself as I hit the void.

And...

I wasn't dead.

Cracking my eyes open, I found myself getting pressed against a hard, broad chest, which was breathing heavily, instead of the never ending blackness I was expecting. There was solid ground underneath my feet, which I was eternally grateful for, and I felt hot breath hit the nape of my neck. Arms tightly encircled my body, and I clutched onto my rescuer's arms, not wanting to let go in case I got sucked into the void again. "Love? Are you alright?" A concerned voice came from above; a voice that I would recognize anywhere.

Taehyung.

"Don't scare me like that, love," Taehyung whispered, cupping my cheeks with his large hands. "I just found you, I can't lose you so quickly." I couldn't reply, since my voice wasn't recovered enough for me to start speaking. I still kept replaying the scenario in my mind, and shivered to think how close I had come into death's clutches.

We stayed in this position; him caressing my back, and me shaking all over, until I calmed down enough to let go.

"How?" I croaked out, when I finally got my voice back. "How did you save me? I was sure I was going to die." Taehyung smiled, a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. "A magician never reveals his secrets Jungkook." he said, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead. Then his voice turned hard and serious. "But this magician can get very angry if you put yourself into unnecessary danger like right now. Don't ever do that again. Do you understand?" I nodded weakly, still shaken up by my near-death experience. Taehyung smiled again, and pulled me into another embrace, which I accepted gladly.

After about 5 minutes, I was calm enough to start walking, though I still put every foot in front of me with the utmost care. Taehyung gripped onto my right hand tightly, murmuring comforting words into my ear as we walked to the middle of the room; the same place where I had seen Jimin and Baekhyun disappear, which now felt like an eternity ago.

Carefully letting go of my hand, Taehyung muttered a few words under his breath and waved his hand across the room. I felt the air shiver and drop, almost as if someone had put a key into a previously locked door.

"What was that?" I asked Taehyung, who flicked his fingers towards the middle of the hall.

"The barrier going down," He responded, still intent on whatever he was doing.

"Barrier?" I couldn't remember seeing any locked gate before coming in.

"People can only enter and leave this room with my permission or Cassius's. It's an additional safety measure we take to make sure that no unwelcome visitors somehow find their way to this room." He finished what he was doing with a sharp snap of his fingers, then turned back to me.
"I think that your near-death experience is enough excitement for one day, Jungkook. I'm leaving you with Jimin for the rest of the day. He can show you around the castle, and introduce you to some of the staff that work here." He pointed at the middle of the room. "Just simply walk towards where my finger's pointing, and you'll find yourself back in the hall where you met Cassius."

I nodded, starting to walk towards the barrier which separated this room from the rest of the castle. But when I got into stepping range, I hesitated.

Turning back, I locked eyes with Taehyung, who was looking at me with an unreadable expression. "Um... Taehyung?" He nodded, indicating for me to go on. "Will I see you again?"

Taehyung smiled, eyes the happiest I had seen. "You will see me again very soon, my love. But now isn't the time. Go on," he motioned toward the now swirling barrier. "People are waiting for you."

I looked at the barrier for a second, but turned around again, a burning question in my throat. "When you said you loved me... were you actually serious?"

Taehyung, who had been leaning on the banisters until this moment, stood up and walked towards me, eyes glowing. He stopped when he was right in front of me, bringing a hand up to caress my cheek. It was the first time I realized that Taehyung was a good four inches taller than me.

"Oh Jungkook," he whispered, his breath tickling my cheek. "I've never been more serious in my entire life."

I leaned into his touch for a minute, before turning away. Maybe it was because I was human, but I couldn't make my decision as easily as Taehyung. "Give me time," I murmured under my breath, but I was sure that he heard it. My feelings were a jumbled mess at the moment, and I needed some time to sort them out.

Stepping through the innocent looking swirling mass of air, it suddenly felt as if my whole body was on fire. I let out a soundless gasp, pain taking over every inch of my body. If this was what it felt like every time I had to leave the throne room, I wasn't sure I would be going in there often.

As soon as it had come, the pain subsided, leaving me in a brightly lit hallway, which I recognized as the place where I had met Cassius. Sure enough, the gold lion was still on the intricately carved door, mouth open in a growl. It wasn't moving, but I could have sworn that his eyes followed me as I walked around the room.

Also on the door was a green post-it note, which I peeled off to read. It said:

Jungkook,

If you're still alive, come and meet us at the reading room. First door to the right. If you're dead, then don't bother. It was nice knowing you.

R.I.P

The midget and Baekhyun

From the sarcastic way the note was written, I was guessing that Baekhyun had been in charge of the note-writing. Plus, I wasn't sure if Jimin would be too happy knowing that he had been referred to as "the midget".

Shoving the post-it note into my pocket, I started walking, but not before I took one long look back at the door.

The door where everything had started.

And behind it, was either my greatest fear, or my euphoria.

I just didn't know which.