"Did you really think you would get away with it if I died?" Jungkook asked in a mocking tone.

"I would've. Do you want to try it out?"

"Poison is the first thing they would test me for. As soon as they find it you would be the prime suspect" Jungkook challenged.

"If they find it. Which they won't." Jimin replied, rubbing his eyes dry.

"Undetectable, I see... It matters not, I would have known even without the bird I'm sure"

"Oh of course you would've, always flattering yourself your highness" Jimin rolled his eyes.

"How can you be so sure of yourself?" Jungkook knit his eyebrows.

"Because this was not the only teabag I poisoned" Jimin started, a hint of evil in his eyes as he spoke, "In fact all of them were. That's right, you've been drinking all of that poison for months like a good little boy" he meant to offend, and that he did.

"I don't understand, why am I still alive?" Jungkook asked, bewildered at his naiveness.

"Because I didn't want you dead yet" Jimin replied, not giving away anything.

"Explain to me how it works" Jungkook demanded out of curiosity.

"Why would I do that" Jimin asked in turn "Why would I give you the details of my plan like that, do you even think?"

"Why not? It failed already, you might die by the end of the day, and if you think I'll let you anywhere near my food again meanwhile, you're wrong" Jungkook answered, he will say whatever it takes to find out. Jimin stared at him for a while, considering what to say.

"Come on spit it out, you don't have all day" Jungkook pushed again, trying to stress him out.

"The poison is only undetectable if the victim has immunity for at least 50% of its strength" he gave in. the Prince was right, this plan won't work another time, especially not on him, so why bother keeping the secret.

"You were making me immune to you own weapon? How?"

"Every week's worth of tea had a certain dose of poison. It started very low with a doze that doesn't faze the human body, but it was crucial for your immune system to start getting used to the new substance. The doze increased at the beginning of every week and stayed constant during it" he elaborated and the other listened carefully. Quite fascinated with the process but won't voice that out.

"After you acquired the necessary immunity, I prepared this week's teabags and gave them to you. Although this time was different. Your new doze only stayed constant for 5 days, it increased in the 6th bag, then again in the 7th"

So much planning for this... He's been playing me like a pawn for months.

"The idea was to catch your body by surprise. I would carefully prepare it, consistently condition it for the poison, then higher the doze at once to cause a life-threatening allergic reaction. Think of it like a bee sting, the first time you'll be fine, but the second might give you anaphylaxis" he easily explained, his dexterity in the topic impressing Jungkook more than he'll admit.

"Then why didn't you trigger this allergic reaction in the first weeks?" he asked, having a hard time to wrap his mind around this.

"As I said, the first few dozes were too weak, the reaction would've given you a slight fever and muscle ache but that's it"

"Then what about later? You didn't have to stick around for this long" Jungkook asked again.

"Were you even listening? Shocking you body before it develops the necessary immunity will make pink and red spots appear on your skin the moment you consume the tea. That is one of the main symptoms of poison, and then I definitely would have gotten caught" he sighed in exasperation.

"Right... It also gave you enough time to gain the trust of the people in the palace, and mine" Jungkook muttered, defeated.

"Correct. If you had died in the first couple months of me working here, I doubt they would believe me over everyone else, even if I had nothing to do with it" Jimin agreed.

"Brilliant... What was this poison?" he asked.

"Vracyne. It comes from Dracna roots" Jimin replied, ready for the interrogation to be over. Then again, was he also ready for the repercussions?

"The red flowers... I saw tons of them in the back of your shop when I stopped by your house that night-" Jungkook froze when he realized he slipped up. He just basically said that he was Jungil and knew that Jimin would figure it out in a second. However, what surprised him is that there was no reaction from the Liquis.

"You knew..." Jungkook whispered in shock.

"And you can't imagine how disappointed I was when I found out" Jimin said with demeaning eyes.

"I was meaning to tell you"

"When..." he replied "I spent my time with you, talked to you about things that could get me killed the moment I say them, I smiled at you" Jimin listed as he spoke, his throat tightening from the feeling of deception again.

"The only thing I kept from you was my face Jimin" Jungkook responded to defend himself.

"That's not true! You painted yourself as an entirely different person, you lied to me over and over again" Jimin accused in rage.

"I couldn't just tell you that I was a Prince!"

"I told you who I was the first time we met, I came to the palace and you acted as if you didn't know me. Then you had the nerve to come find me that night and act as if we hadn't seen each other since Chuseok?" Jimin asserted, "You were meaning to fool me, it wasn't just a coincidence anymore."

"I admit it, I haven't been transparent. But I really needed you last time, and I couldn't tell you who I was because I didn't know how you'd react" he tried to explain himself.

"You used me. You made me believe in things that weren't true for your---sheer entertainment" Jimin alleged, pain could be heard in his voice and Jungkook felt bad for making him feel that way.

"Jimin, no... I only said what was necessary, I didn't want to lie more than I had to I promise"

"Was lying about your dead brother also necessary?"

"I... Needed to defend the actions of the General" Jungkook admitted.

"You mean you needed to manipulate me into believing what you said"

"I cared about what you thought of me and wanted to change your mind"

"And you know what? I believed Jungil. I listened to what he said and stalled my revenge to maybe find something to use against the Prince without having to kill him" Jimin confessed, watching Jungkook's eyebrows rise slightly.

"What happened then?"

"I found the crystal Sakura" he replied with a soft voice "The youngest prince was holding it and he told me right where he got it from" he added, "I realized that everything I was told had been a lie"

"It was never a lie" Jungkook whispered as he gently held Jimin by the arms.

"Don't touch me" Jimin said but made no effort to move away, the same applied to the taller.

"Every moment we shared that night was real. I never used what you told me against you, I held you in my arms because I wanted to-"

"Don't talk about that"

"I need to talk about it. I wanted to tell you who I was but I was too much of a coward to face you right there... I wanted to enjoy the time I had with you because I knew I wouldn't have that chance again in forever" Jungkook spoke all the words through his eyes already, there was no need to voice them out.

How could the Crown Prince yet talk about his feelings for him as if nothing short of critical happened this morning, why did nothing change in the Pyre's heart? Jimin didn't understand it, he couldn't.

"And so you took advantage of my oblivion" Jimin huffed, "Real gentleman"

"I am sorry, I really am. But I didn't have anybody else to talk to" Jungkook defended himself.

"Sir Jin couldn't read you a couple bedtime stories?" he scoffed.

"It's more than that Jimin... It's very complicated but I can't talk to you about it right now" he replied while shaking his head.

"Keep your secrets, I don't care at all" he responded in disdain.

"Why are you like this? So different from the Jimin I met outside the palace..."

"That was the me Jungil got. This is the one you get" Jimin replied, stressing the difference.

"We're the same person whether you like it or not!"

"No you aren't"

"I've always been him! You just can't see it because you're too blinded by your revenge. I seriously wondered why you didn't recognize me but now it's clearer" Jungkook scoffed, looking away in frustration as he rested his hands on his hips.

"You want to know why I didn't recognize you? Because when I met Jungil, all I saw was this pure soul, polite and kind, who loved nature and life" Jimin started. There he goes again with his venomous words. You don't have to do this, something in the back of his mind said.

"All I see when I look at you is death. I see ugliness and evil. I wouldn't even think of comparing you two" he said, sensing the heat coming from the Prince yet paying it no mind.

"You don't mean that, not you too" Jungkook muttered.

"I mean it" he challenged. Don't push him away, the voice said again but he ignored it, watching the slight discomfort in Jungkook's body, as if he was trying hard not to do something.

"Please say you don't, I've been very calm so far and I don't want to hurt you" he said again, crossing his arms to keep himself from making abrupt movements.

"Hate me like I hate you" Jimin fuelled the situation. Please don't prove me wrong, please be the person I thought you were.

"I can't hate you" Jungkook replied, still looking away from the shorter.

"Did I not hurt you enough? I tried to kill you, I tried to take your life just this morning" he shouted at the Prince, unaware that the other was barely listening to anything he said. He was in pain, physical pain from trying to suppress his element.

"I still love- you" Jungkook gritted out before a groan of pain made its way out of his throat.

"I don't want your love, I want nothing to do with it! I want you to resent me, I don't want you to just let me go because you happen to feel for me"

"Do you want to die that much?"

"I want you to think of me as the enemy"

"Shut up Jimin- just- shut up!"

"Seriously what is wrong with you in the head? What else do I have to say for you to realize I'm wrong for you?" Jimin almost shouted in exasperation. Why was this man hellbent on giving me things I don't deserve. His trust, his kindness, that Hanfu, his love...

"I would appreciate it if you said nothing right now" Jungkook answered with his closed eyes trying to calm down, huffing out a deep breath.

"Open your eyes and look at me" Jimin demanded, which he immediately did despite himself.

"I will never love you" Jimin declared in a definite voice, looking at Jungkook right in his golden irises. I'm so sorry.

"Stop..." Jungkook pleaded, feeling his fire burn his palms the more he tried to keep it in his fist. He was sweating too, nothing was right and he didn't know why.

"I will never accept your feelings or return them. Ever."

"Do you think you deserve my love? The killer you are?" Jimin pried more and more, trying to push Jungkook over the edge. Hate me Jungkook, don't waste your feelings on me.

"Don't say that Jimin I'm begging you" his eyes filled with tears. He was a mess.

"A beast, that's what they call you right?" Jimin taunted, his heart beating in his chest as he witnessed Jungkook's break all over again in front of him.

Suddenly, he was no longer standing on his feet, but rather strangled up against the wall. Jungkook's forearm was against his neck, while the other hand held a flame so close to his face. It was scorching hot and Jimin could feel the sting without it even making contact. 

He quickly crystallized that area of his face and felt his head get dizzy. He hated doing that because it literally meant taking water from your own body to cover something.

"If you want me to hate you that badly, I will" Jungkook seethed though his teeth.

"Good. Now what will you do about the man who tried to murder you in cold blood?" he asked.

No, he didn't want to die. However, he didn't want to live because Jungkook showed him mercy. It would mean that he wasn't as ruthless of a killer as Jimin used to think, that he has a heart and is capable of loving and cherishing others. It would show that the Prince wasn't that different from Jungil and he couldn't live with that thought. The thought of almost killing the same man he longer for.

The Crown Prince clenched his jaws and let Jimin's body fall to the ground. Busy catching his breath and de-crystallizing his skin, the pharmacist barely payed attention to the Pyre before a loud raging scream boomed inside the room, followed by an explosion of some sort.

The air suddenly expanded with heat and burst the window into pieces, along with fragile objects and mirrors in the room. The ground shook for a second and Jimin could swear he heard a rumble outside as well. Steam was coming out of Jungkook as he slowly turned to him with his hands clutching his head.

What Jimin saw made his breath get stuck in his throat.

No... Impossible.

"You know what Jimin? I actually do hate you for making me do this. You want me to get you executed because you know it'll make me look like the bad guy in the entire palace!" Jungkook accused, obviously unaware of the situation.

"Wait, you need to calm down" Jimin carefully said while he stood and backed up against the wall again, trying to take all the distance he can away from the younger.

"Now I need to calm down? Are you throwing all your efforts to make me angry out the window?" Jungkook asked as he walked closer threateningly.

"Stay right there!" Jimin warned, pointing a finger forward.

"You know everyone likes you in this place, if I get you killed nobody will even care that you tried poisoning me!" Jungkook complained relentlessly, a few flames randomly starting on his body and burning holes in his clothes.

"Jungkook you need to breathe" Jimin tried again, moving away from him.

"This is the first time you've said my name in this entire conversation, did you know that?" Jungkook replied. He will never understand how he can be in such states yet keep track of the most futile things.

"Just- look at yourself!" Jimin desperately said holding a piece of the mirror up to Jungkook's face, who immediately went quiet upon seeing his reflection.

His eyes were fiery red. His irises should be golden but they were the color of blood, which matched with no other element. But most importantly, the right side of his face held a large white symbol, extending from his forehead down to his cheek and glowing like light.

"What's the meaning of this" he muttered as he studied his face. He brought his hand up to touch the gleaming symbol but immediately retracted it when he felt a burn in his fingertips. Oddly enough, his face didn't hurt at all.

---

Kyungsoo heard the loud explosion from the Crown Prince's quarters and immediately rushed to the area, where he found the court ladies gathering. Confused as he was, he broke through the crowd and saw some guards assembling to enter.

The middle child might not know much, but he knows when to follow Jungkook's orders. If he said nobody should be in his quarters, then no one shall enter.

"Guards!" He called, catching their attention.

"You are not allowed to enter the premises without the Crown Prince's permission" he informed, standing ahead of them and blocking their way.

"Young Prince Kyungsoo, we heard a big explosion and we are worried something might have happened to the Prince. It is our duty to protect him" one of the men said, anxiously glancing at the closed gate.

"Nothing bad happened to your Crown Prince rest assured. This morning he sent out clear orders of no trespassing until further notice, then called me in to explain that his fire wasn't very stable. He is meaning to protect all of you from getting hurt and I will not allow you to ruin that" the Prince stood his ground, firmly staring at the older guards and hoping they bought his lies.

"We apologize your highness. We understand the Crown Prince's motives but we need to make sure he hasn't hurt himself in the process" Another replied.

"What is happening in here?" the King suddenly made an appearance, making everyone bow to him.

"Your majesty! Fancy seeing you here" Kyungsoo greeted.

"My son, please explain to me what goes on. I was informed the Crown Prince's personal area is the source of the blast" he started.

"The Crown Prince has been experiencing odd fluctuations in his fire my King. He was worried this would happen and made sure everyone was out of the quarters beforehand" Kyungsoo said and bit his bottom lip from the pressure he felt.

"Ridiculous! What is he, 10 years old?" the King complained with a distasteful expression on his face. "Prince Kyungsoo, go take a look at your brother" he said before looking at the crowd again.

"Everyone go back to your duties, and when this is over, Crown Prince Jungkook will go through mandatory suppression training like a child does" he ordered with an angered tone, and Kyungsoo sighed, feeling relieved and guilty for putting Jungkook in such a position.

He waited until everyone was far enough before opening the door and entering. Please tell me everything is okay.

---

"Make it go away" Jimin said after a few seconds of silence.

"Right. Because I know how to do that" Jungkook scoffed sarcastically, still staring at himself.

"No listen to me, you need to get rid of it" Jimin frantically spoke again, raising Jungkook's suspicions.

"What do you know about this?" he asked, letting the mirror fragment down and focusing on the man in front of him.

"It matters not what I know right now. Just that if you don't turn back to normal, we both won't make it out alive!" Jimin whisper-shouted, worried that someone could even hear what's happening inside the walls.

"Of course it matters Jimin! You have to explain to me what this is" Jungkook countered, disoriented.

"Brother Jungkook?" A voice was heard from outside the room.

"They're here... Hurry up, hide it with something" Jimin rushed, fiddling to grab the folded sheet on the bed.

"It's just Kyungsoo, it's okay he won't say anything" Jungkook whispered back, taking the sheet and throwing it away, making Jimin squeeze his eyes shut in annoyance.

"How can you say that when you don't even know what it is?" Jimin asked frustrated, "Trust me, even your brother can turn on you right now" he warned.

Kyungsoo decided he couldn't wait for a reply and slid the door open. He was immediately met with the sight of his brother's back wrapped into sir Park's arms, while the pharmacist's hand held Jungkook's face buried in his neck.

The room was in shambles, things were broken and the bed was messed up. The sheets were undone and thrown randomly on the floor, not to say that Jungkook's clothes were torn all over. His eyes widened and cheeks flushed.

"Prince Kyungsoo..." Jimin innocently called, at once becoming aware of how things may look.

"Oh- I... It- " the younger stuttered.

"Kyungsoo forget what you saw here, close that door, and make sure no one comes in" Jungkook's chilling voice interrupted and brought him back to his senses. He quickly did as told and left them again.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Jimin let go of the Prince and hissed at the sting he felt while holding the Pyre's blazing body. He waved his arms around to cool off his skin through the fabric and glared at the taller.

"So embarrassing..." he complained "Now he thinks you and I were being intimate"

"Why are you looking at me like that, I'm not the one who embraced you" Jungkook defended.

"If you had done something to hide it, I wouldn't have had to" he replied, "Anyway... The symbol is gone now" Jimin announced.

"Is it?" he muttered as he touched his face and felt his normal warm skin again "What did you do?" he asked his pharmacist.

"Nothing... What did you do?" he asked instead.

"I guess it went away on its own" Jungkook concluded, "Now how about you tell me what that was" he said, taking a seat on his bed and rubbing his face. Stressed out was too shallow an adjective to describe his current state. 

"I'm guessing we no longer have capital punishment to discuss" Jimin reiterated.

"Capital punishment was already carried out in my head" he scoffed, looking up at Jimin with the same hard eyes he used to see in his early days at the palace. "Do you know what you put me through just now? There are things you said that you can't take back" he pointed out, not bothering to hide how hurt he was.

"I will no longer play your games Jimin. You do not get to say and do whatever goes through your mind without suffering the consequences do you hear me?" Jungkook warned in an authoritative manner, making Jimin swallow his words back.

"You may not die like any other person who committed your crimes, but you will pay for them otherwise I promise" Jungkook asserted. 

"Now tell me what you know. This is an order" he finished. There was no denying that his charisma made the atmosphere darker.

Jimin was left to obey, not that he has anything else to say. The Prince was finally fighting back, wasn't that exactly what he wanted? So he nodded, thinking about where to start.

"You remember when I told you about the Night of the Black Star?" Jimin asked.

"I do, Chuseok."

"That star does not appear every year, but only once in a lifetime. I had said that the star chooses a successor to gift tremendous power to" Jimin began, finding it quite hard to structure his thoughts.

"Are you perhaps meaning to say it chose me?" Jungkook asked.

"Not to jump to conclusions... I would say whatever you are experiencing has to do with that night" Jimin replied. He refused to believe Jungkook was really the one who received that gift, there was no way the star saw in him what it was meant to see.

"How do you know all this?"

"My father taught me a great deal about this myth. He used to study all books that mentioned Alluras and found them both concerning and impressive at once"

"I think I missed a word--- Aurora?" the Prince asked with knit eyebrows.

"Allura. It is the name of the chosen one" Jimin informed, "Alluras are mystical beings who have control of all four elements. They were made to be the most powerful creatures in the whole world. Some say they are guardians and others claim them to be abominations of mother Nature" he added.

"Sweet. May I know why the second one holds?"

"They were born from Magic, my Prince." That's all Jimin had to say for color to drain from Jungkook's face.

"You mentioned books... Did your late father--- May he rest in peace--- entrust you with those?" Jungkook politely asked, resting his chin on his clasped hands.

"I am in possession of said books yes. However, as the sacred rule states: One shall not taint the purity of royal blood with witchcraft" Jimin collectively reminded. "I understand your curiosity but the consequences are worse than death" he nervously added.

"Oh my mistake" Jungkook replied "I must have made you feel like you had a choice" he added with a sharp glare. Jimin's eyes widened and his heartbeat picked up. If he ever got caught committing such a crime, it's not only him who would be punished; his sister, her future husband, their children... Everyone related to him for at least another generation.

"You have no say in anything anymore sir Park, do we understand each other? I decide what I want to do and how to do it. If I ask you to bring me the books, you will do that. If I ask you to die, you will also do that" the Prince's hostility was frightening. Jimin never thought he could be so afraid looking at those brown eyes of his.

"Your task begins immediately. I would like all the books in my office by 5 in the afternoon. Come back anytime later and I will not think twice about making you regret it" he said, standing up and walking past him, heading for the door of his bathing room again.

"Wait... Now that we both know my loyalty to you is on a thin rope, why are you letting me leave knowing I could tell your people about the magic inside you" Jimin said, really testing his limits now.

"You won't do that"

"Is that so"

"Because you don't want your sister to die" Jungkook replied with a side look from over his shoulder.

"Are you willing to soak your hands in the blood of an innocent woman" Jimin asked, voice shaking slightly.

"As far as I'm concerned, I never chose to be involved in this Black Star circumstance, yet you would be willing to make me pay the price for it. I don't see why I shouldn't do the same." Just like that, the Prince disappeared behind the door and Jimin could only watch him with a defeated spirit.

---

Namjoon sighed as he crossed his legs, this was the fifth book he read and nothing came up about the mysterious flower yet. He grabbed the next one and hoped it would be his last, he was honestly tired of seeing the same plants over and over, he could compete again the royal pharmacist at this point.

"Please be the one" Namjoon muttered as he flipped the first page of the book, continuing to move across when he doesn't see an image of the said flower. At least he didn't need to read plant descriptions in this one.

"Wait-" He put the book down and ran to the table, where he had set the flower in a cup of water. He grabbed it in a rush and set it right beside the image to compare the two.

"This is it!"

"Gema..." the painting on the old paper was starting to come off, but the flower matched clearly enough. He took his time to read the description and knit his eyebrows at the cryptic words.

"The blind and the guide? What nonsense is this..." he muttered and shrugged as he read the next line.

"Bright as the night... That's just dark, a dark star" he scoffed, almost starting to think the description was randomly put together for a poetic effect.

"A Black Star?" he suddenly sat up straight as if he had needles against his back. Reading and re-reading the text to see if he wasn't missing any word.

"The guide's flower! Of course!" he exclaimed, standing up to fetch one of his other books, a more taboo genre this time.

"The blind..." he read as he compared the writing and metaphors in both unrelated books---or too closely related rather.

"The Allura has been chosen" he whispered to himself in shock "And it's here".

---

ARC I: Complete.

This confrontation chapter was way too long to keep in one part so I split it... but good news! now the arc finishes at chapter 20, isn't that much cleaner than 19?

This is probably the longest arc, mainly because there were a lot of character introductions to write. I also had to start showing the different problems these characters will be facing later on.

Now you have an insight on why Jungkook's ways in the Army are what they are, he has his reasons and most come from this place of 'sacrificing himself for others'.

Jimin however is in deep conflict with himself because he doesn't want to admit that he may have been wrong about Jungkook, and doesn't allow his months' worth of hate to become wasted time.

It was pretty heavy with information and it's only going to build up from here, but at least a lot of your confusions about the Allura and such will be cleared up in the next arc!

See you next week!

-Aida-