Hello:) 

WARNING: this chapter mentions death by burning, not really in detail, but that is still one of the main things in this chapter. If you're uncomfortable, please do not read.

LIII: Jungkook

I spin around, surprised to see the monster standing a mere few feet away from me, arms crossed over his chest as he surveys the wreckage around us with calm detachment.

"Why are you here?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow. "What? Not allowed to take a walk down memory lane?"

"Well no, but..."

"If you must know," The monster says, sighing dramatically, "It's so you don't get yourself killed accidentally. Not that anything can attack you here, but it's better to have backup, isn't it? Plus, it feels nice to be in full control for once, with no nagging voice in my head."

My mouth drops open. "You mean Taehyung's gone? What did you do to him, you monster!"

The monster waves his hand dismissively. "Don't look so alarmed. He's not gone completely. But because this is my memory, only my mind is allowed inside. Besides, you're here with me, the most competent Mask of my generation. Why do you look so afraid?" The look I send him makes him crack a smile.

"Where are we?" I ask, deciding to change the subject. I see flames reaching skywards in the distance, and every building here is either broken or in shambles. It seems like the aftermath of a particularly violent war. Which, I assume, is exactly what it is.

"This," the monster looks around. "Is where I unleashed my first attack. The city of Tieger in the Armisia clan. Before, it was a beautiful city known for its impressive libraries. Now," he gestures at the scorched streets. "It is rubble. They rebuilt it afterwards, but it was never quite the same." I look around, and see that most of the buildings have doric and corinthian columns, like the ones you would see in the front of a library.

"Come," the monster holds out his hand, and after a second, I take it. His grip on my hand is tight as we walk through the ruined streets, and the smell of smoke so thick in the air that I'm afraid I'll choke. As we walk deeper into the ruined city, I start seeing more and more bodies littering the streets; some civilians while others are soldiers. All have died with a horrible look of terror contorted on their faces. An involuntary shudder runs through me, and I move closer to the monster.

"What have you done to this place?" I whisper to him, forcing myself to tear my gaze away from the bodies. "It's in absolute ruins."

"I control many dark forces," the monster answers. "I could burn a whole city to the ground in a day if I wished. But this time―" He breaks off his words mid-sentence as his eyes narrow. He evidently hears something, because his expression becomes stony.

"Quick!" He hisses, ducking into the shadows of an old building beside us, one hand covering my mouth. I squirm in his grip, but one look from him makes me stop. Whatever the danger is, it's serious. The monster's muscles are tense, and he's scanning the sky for something that only he seems to be able to see. If something was bad enough to make the monster hide, I wasn't sure I ever wanted to know what that thing was.

And then I see it.

A shadowy figure flies overhead on outstretched wings, an ominous black dot in the sky. It's only when the firelight catches the silver mask on the person's face do I realize who it is. I let out a squeak of surprise and the monster presses deeper into the shadows, the wings on his back coming up soundlessly to circle me. Too late, I realize that wearing white robes isn't the best form of camouflage in the shadows. My eyes flit back up to the figure in the sky, who has started to lazily circle the air above us, sharp black eyes glinting with unseen things. My body is frozen, and even the monster doesn't move a muscle. Finally after the most agonizing minute of my life, the masked figure moves on, flying away from us. 

We stay still even after the monster is gone, only daring to come out after five minutes have passed. The monster removes his hand from my mouth, but I don't dare speak before another two minutes have passed.

"Was that the past version of you?" My voice comes out shaky, and I can't control my shivering.

"Yes." The monster squints into the sky before nodding. "That's why we had to hide."

"But I thought you said nothing can hurt us here?"

"Well, there are exceptions of course," the monster takes out a dagger and examines it. "The Creator, for instance, can see us. Even inflict pain, if he or she wishes it."

"The Creator?" I ask, and the monster turns to look at me, an amused expression on his face. "Yes, Jungkook. The owner of this memory. In this case, me. The person you just saw is myself from the past, and since this memory belongs to me, it also naturally belongs to him. He will notice any changes, people who don't belong here. And he will try and exterminate them. If we die in this memory, we die in real life."

"Is that why we hid?" I ask, trying to suppress a shiver. "Because he could have killed us?"

The monster nods. "Partly. There would also be disastrous consequences if we're spotted. We don't belong here, and could accidentally alter the past. And messing up the events of the future and past can be catastrophic. One wrong move, and you may not find yourself in existence anymore once you return to reality. That's why we must be careful."

A thought strikes me, and I shuffle my feet nervously. "Er... hypothetically speaking, let's say I've accidentally made eye contact with the Creator of a memory before. Is that bad?"

The monster raises an eyebrow. "Hypothetically speaking, it would depend on the memory. Who was the Creator?"

"Taehyung," I quickly say. "Hypothetically, of course."

The monster's mouth twitches. "Could this be the one where he saw you at Bloodcrest after dueling with Lucius?"

My mouth falls open. "How do you know?"

This time, the monster laughs. "I was still in existence at that time, though never fully in control. I was only a pool of shadows, but I remember that memory. That's how Taehyung first realized he had a soulmate. Imagine his shock, when one minute he was staring at the weapon rack, and the next he saw a figure clad in white standing at the doorway. It gave him quite a surprise. He thought you were an angel at first. But that was one of the reasons he refused to take on a queen before he found you. Risky choice, but he was determined. In the end, it seems to have paid off."

Even under the lurid sky, I'm sure that my blush is easily detectable. But before I have a chance to say anything, a dry sort of chatter in the air distracts me. The monster hears it too, and I can tell he knows what it is, because his eyes widen.

"Jungkook," his voice is strange. "Maybe we should go. Here―" he tries to take my arm, but I move away from him. The indescribable chattering grows louder as I walk down the street, turning a corner at the end. I let out a sharp gasp at the sight ahead of me.

Twenty or so men, women, and children are all clustered together, surrounded by the shadowy figures I've seen too many times: specters. The chatter I heard before is coming out of their mouths, as they light up great big piles of wood space out at consistent intervals. I feel a sick feeling in my stomach as I realize what they're doing.

They're making a pyre.

Soon, the sky is illuminated by the light of scores of pyres. The vampires huddle together, fear in their eyes. I don't realize I'm shaking until the monster tightens his grip on my shoulders, murmuring into my ear what I already know. "Don't worry. This is only a memory. They can't hurt you here."

"But all those people!" I struggle against his grip. "Some of them are children! They're not going to kill them all, are they?" The grim look on the monster's face is an answer enough.

"No!" I try to lunge forward, but the monster's arm is tight around my waist. "They can't all die!" As I watch, the specters grab a small boy from the crowd at random, dragging him to one of the pyres. The boy twists in panic, and I can see tear stains on his face. He looks no older than six, but his terrified expression tells me that he knows what's coming.

"I told you you'd be seeing a few rough things in my past," The monster whispers as I watch the scene unfold in front of me helplessly. "I'm sorry if this causes you pain."

"A few rough things," my voice trembles. "Is that what this is? Is that all this is to you? There are children being killed. Not to mention the adults. How can you just stand here and let it happen?" The blazing fires reach toward the sky, and the boy's insistent cries grow louder. The specters take no notice as they thrust the boy onto one of the pyres, binding him in place with rope with their shadowy hands. The boy's terrified screams turn into cries of pain as the fire overwhelms him.

"I―you―we have to help them!" Tears spill freely from my eyes, but I can't escape from the monster's arms. He holds me with inhuman strength, refusing to let go.

"You can't help them. You're no more than a hologram in this memory to everybody except the Creator. No one there will acknowledge your presence."

The boy is now screaming, but the specters have already moved on, dragging another person from the crowd. Then two. Then three. The first boy's yells turn thinner and thinner as the fifth person is taken, and then stops all together. The screams of the burning people all clash into one massive cloud of agonizing pain in my mind, and I stagger. If not for the monster's arms around me, I would have fallen to my knees.

"Make it stop!" I yell, covering my ears with my hands to block out the screams. Too many... too many dying. A pair of arms come around my waist, and I turn around, burying my head into his chest. I don't want this. A hand caresses my hair as salty tears trail down my cheeks. It feels stupid, to be getting teary over a memory that had happened long before I was even born. But I can't help it. All those innocent people, burned at stake for what? Being caught up in a war that they didn't want? I hate the unfairness of it all.

"Don't look," The monster's words are a breath in my ear as he continues to stroke my hair. "I know you're not ready, and there's no shame in that. Just being involved in one or two wars doesn't make you an expert on pain. If I could choose, this―this definitely wouldn't be one of the memories I would show you first."

"You... you were the one who ordered this, weren't you?" I fight to keep my voice free of tears. "The specters can only be controlled by you. You allowed them to do this," I look up into his cold onyx eyes. "Why would you do such a thing? I―I thought you were cold-hearted. Cold-hearted, but not willfully cruel to innocents. Not good but... " I hesitate. "But not this."

The monster stares at me for a long moment before shaking his head. "If you really think so, you still have a lot to learn about me." He looks over my head at the chaos beyond me, and an unreadable expression crosses his face. "In this case, I had no choice."

"No choice," a horrible type of sickening anger consumes me. "You command these specters. Of course you had a choice."

The monster's eyes flash. "Don't speak of things you don't understand. What would you have done if you were a shadow demon, with no knowledge about anything else except death? Would you have felt pity for these lost souls? No! Because you are a vampire, with a heart made to feel, you cannot understand me." In a gentler voice he adds, "And I don't expect you to. You were born a human, then became a vampire. Both species are ones that are made to feel. That is why all of this affects you much more than me."

I try to take a look back over my shoulder, but before I can, the monster gently turns my face so that I'm staring back at him again. "Not until you're ready." The words, though delivered without the usual biting edge, leave me feeling hollow and weak.

The shriek of the dying resonate in my ears from behind, and I want to cover them again. I can't bear this anymore. The monster notices, because he slowly moves away from the destruction behind us. I don't resist. All too soon, I can't hear them anymore, can't focus on anything except the unnatural warmth from the fires burning away around us, and the captivating warmth of the monster's arms around me. Suddenly, I'm filled with the inexplicable need to be with Taehyung again. Feel his arms around me chasing away the darkness and comforting me. Like they used to.

"I―I want Tae..." The words bubble out of me before I can stop them, and I feel the monster tense ever so slightly. He doesn't say anything, just keeps caressing my hair as his hands find their place on the small of my back. He leans down close to my ear, and his voice is featherlight when he says, "You will."

My surroundings are starting to blur, and a white haze descends over my vision. At first I think I'm hallucinating from the shock of it all and just close my eyes, leaning in closer to the monster on reflex. But when he squeezes my hand, I know he can see it too.

"What's happening?" My voice is a hushed whisper.

"We're switching memories." I'm too numb to feel anything, so I just nod, keeping my eyes closed. Anything other than this is a relief. I can tell we're no longer in the world of fire and death, because I can't hear the crackle of fire and the distant boom of buildings collapsing. Instead, a sort of calmness wafts around me, and after a while, I feel strong enough to open my eyes again. The monster doesn't move from my side, which I'm grateful for.

We're back in Armad Castle, and I feel like crying in relief when I see the familiar portraits hanging on the walls and the marble floor, not so much as a scorch mark on its immaculate surface. But when I take a closer look around, I see that some of the tapestries are different, and the drapes over the windows have changed. I can see the monster looking around wearily as well, and with a sudden jolt, I remember that he had burned down Armad.

Voices drift from a partially open door, and I look back at the monster. He shrugs, taking my arm and leading me toward the door. I follow him, slowly, because my legs are still refusing to work like normal. He makes space for me to see through the crack in the door, since it's too risky to just walk in. There are two people in the room, one lying in the bed, and the other sitting on a chair next to the bed. I take a sharp intake of breath when I see who's inside.

It's a younger version of Taehyung. His black hair is uncharacteristically ruffled, and he has a sort of hollow, haggard look in his eyes. Deep scratches and cuts marr his face, and his arms are crossed over his chest, every muscle tensed. I also recognize the person sitting next to him on a chair: Hoseok.

"I want to go home," young Taehyung says to Hoseok. His voice is low and halting, like it had been a while since he had spoken. Hoseok takes Taehyung's hands in his own, but Taehyung immediately pulls away, eyes flashing. Still, Hoseok smiles. "This is your home now, Taehyung. And I'm your friend. A new friend."

Taehyung's face twists into a sneer. "Don't be silly. I don't have friends. I have people who want me dead and people who I want dead. People who use me and people whom I use. If you are none of those, then you're nothing to me."

"Well, then perhaps we can add a new word to that list," Hoseok says. "Because you're right: I am none of those things. I'm your friend, and I'm here to help you."

Taehyung snorts. "As soon as I'm well enough, I'm leaving this godforsaken castle. And if you or anybody tries to stop me, you're all dead."

"I don't doubt it," Hoseok eyes the scim at his bedside. "I'm sure that you want to gut me right now. What's stopping you?"

"I don't want to get blood all over Lisa's nice room," Taehyung says dryly. "It's still her castle."

"But it could be yours in the near future," Hoseok says, and Taehyung narrows his eyes. "By law, ruling rights are transferred to the firstborn child of the royal family. Lisa has been ruling in your absence, and she's been doing a great job, but the throne is still yours."

"What in the ten hells makes you think that I want to become king of some vampire clan?" Taehyung says, "I'll leave all that ruling nonsense to Lisa if she wants it. I'm much better on my own."

Hoseok shrugs. "Very well," He says, in a tone that conveys that he's allowing Taehyung to drop the subject. "Have you decided what you will do once you're well enough to travel?"

Taehyung's scowl deepens. "That's none of your business."

"Considering you were half dead when I found you, I rather think it is," Hoseok's voice takes on a sharp edge I'm not used to hearing. "Being a messenger, I know all the best travel paths and ways through the forest. I can help you if you really want to leave. It is a foolish decision to not accept help from a person who knows the surrounding terrain well."

Taehyung smirks. "I trained at Bloodcrest for more than fifteen years, messenger. Masks train with scims and staffs, and our bare hands. On horseback and boat with no sleep and no food. On every type of terrain imaginable. Just because I was weak from... the period of control, doesn't mean that I can't cut you down in my sleep."

A smile flits across Hoseok's face. This time a challenging one. "Don't underestimate me, Taehyung. I'm sure you'll find it hard to defeat me, even with all your superior fighting skills."

Taehyung considers this for a moment, then whips out a throwing knife that misses Hoseok's left ear by a hair. His hands move so quickly that I don't even see where the knife came from. Hoseok doesn't flinch as the knife lodges itself between the seam of two panels in the wall. Instead, he pulls a staff from the sleeves of his robe, pointing it at Taehyung's neck with lightning speed. Taehyung doesn't bat an eyelid, but I see surprise flicker in his eyes. Both glare at each other for a minute, before Hoseok flashes his bright smile, putting the staff away with a flourish. He extends his hand, and Taehyung glances at it.

"You could have killed me with that knife, but in my dying moments, my staff would have taken off your head. So we've reached a stalemate," Hoseok says. "Let's shake hands."

"That's not fair," Taehyung protests. "I'm in bed, and can't move. You, on the other hand, have enough room to jump back."

Hoseok shrugs. "Too bad. That's your fault. No enemy's going to wait until you're out of bed." For the first time, I see the hints of a smile on Taehyung's face. He takes Hoseok's hand for a millisecond, before letting go. Hoseok sits down again, putting his hands on his lap.

"Do me a favor," he says, "And at least consider becoming king. You trained at Bloodcrest after all. That place is made for training future kings." Taehyung glares at Hoseok, but Hoseok doesn't look away. He sighs.

"If I become king of this... clan," Taehyung says slowly. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"Well," Hoseok starts, "You'll have many duties to attend to of course. Establishing trade deals, talking with other leaders, and taking control of the runnings of the Sirius clan, that type of thing. Probably with a few wars mixed in there too. I won't lie, it's hard work, but it mostly pays off in the end. And once you find yourself a queen, he or she can also rule at your side."

Taehyung looks at Hoseok wearily. "A queen?"

Hoseok smiles, and Taehyung returns it with a glare. Hoseok doesn't seem to be miffed in the slightest when he says, "Yes. Naturally, whoever you choose will share in your duties. Most vampires choose their queen about five or ten years after they start to rule, though some already know who they're going to pick in advance. Did you meet anyone at Bloodcrest, perhaps, that you're thinking about? Some girl or boy that's caught your attention?"

Taehyung's scowl doesn't waver. "No."

"Well there's plenty of time to choose," Hoseok says brightly. "Some kings and queens have even been lucky enough to meet their soulmate." Something flickers in Taehyung's eyes, but he remains silent. "But most, alas, never do. Have you met your soulmate yet, Taehyung?"

Taehyung hesitates for a split second before answering. "No."

"I see. I haven't met mine yet either, if that's any consolation. Though I must give you a word of advice." Hoseok leans in, and Taehyung meets his gaze, mouth in a thin line. "Don't spend too much time waiting for your soulmate, okay? Especially when you're a king. People will expect you to take on a queen in a few years, and even though you shouldn't give into public pressure, a king without a queen is incomplete. Unless you're planning to stay single forever, which is a different matter, you shouldn't wait for too long until―"

"I'm tired," Taehyung interrupts. "Can I go to sleep?"

"Oh, well, yes." Hoseok looks puzzled. "Would you like me to go?"

"Unless you're planning on staring at me while I sleep, then certainly." Taehyung says, and Hoseok laughs. "Very well. I'll leave you then. I hope you'll at least consider becoming king. I daresay that it'll suit you." 

I hear the rustle of robes as Hoseok stands up, and after a second, he walks out of the room, passing us like we weren't there. Obviously, we were invisible to him. Taehyung lays back against the pillows, twirling another knife in his fingers. His posture is relaxed, but it doesn't match the high alertness in his eyes. A tap comes on my shoulder and I turn. The monster gestures me to come down the hall, silently, and I follow him. Once we're a good distance away from the room, the monster says to me in a whisper, "Get ready. We're switching memories again."

My eyes widen. "Already? You can feel it?" He nods. Sheepishly, I add. "I wanted to talk to Taehyung for a bit."

The monster frowns. "You know you can't do that. He'll be able to see you, and you can accidentally alter the whole past. It's not worth the risk. Just because that's Taehyung doesn't mean I'm not in his mind. And this is my memory. There's no guarantee he won't hurt you."

I sigh and nod, just as the white haze descends again, and this time, I know what to expect. I close my eyes, my hands entwined with the monster's as the memory changes around us. When I open my eyes again, I'm greeted with the sight of the moonlit meadow where we started, looking the same as always. I look at the monster in surprise.

"Are we back already?"

The monster shakes his head, a faraway look in his eyes. "No. This is still a memory. The final memory." He takes a deep breath, then looks at me. I'm surprised by the intensity of his onyx eyes. He holds out his hand again. "Ready?"

I stare at his hand, then his face. His face, always so impassive beneath that silver mask is now full of hesitance. Is he afraid I won't take his hand after seeing what he has done? Seeing who he's killed? I stare out at the seemingly serene landscape ahead of me, and can't imagine what horrors could lay in store. Anything, I suppose. I take his hand, and a small smile twitches at the corner of his lips. I tell him,

"Ready."