┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 𝓘 𝓦𝓪𝓲𝓽 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓜𝔂 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓭𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓸 𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓜𝓮 ˚｡➶˚┊

The hotel was mere feet away.

It had been three weeks since he last discussed the plan with the rebellion, which meant they were in the Rocklands, executing it. He had to uphold his side of the plan. He went to the City, but there were no Bassas. They were rare, and normally the guards handled them if they ever did come. Commander Park was a last resort. After all, what good was a slave if he was given an opportunity to escape?

Park groaned and refrained from rubbing his sore back. Ever since he joined the rebellion, he had to take more risks. Going outside the castle was impossible without the Emperor knowing. That led to Park getting punished. Some days, it was minor punishment: he wasn't allowed to see his brother. If he was only gone a few hours, his brother's door got locked. If he was gone longer than normal, that led to the shackles Park despised. The shackles the childhood version of himself screamed at the thought of. Adult Park learned to overcome it, but he couldn't help but break whenever he was subjected to it. At least now he could look at them without having a panic attack. It was progress. Little progress, but little was better than nothing.

The City, like Y/n said during the address over a month ago, was in ruins. The most recent address that happened last week didn't speak on the City's issues. There were trash bins kicked over, cracks in the very cobblestone Park stepped on, graffiti on the walls, people chattering until their voices clogged Park's ears.

Despite the terrible state of the City, it seemed as though the commoners were welcoming to the guards that patrolled the streets. Patrols occurred on every block. They marched up and down the sidewalks, keeping people in place. Some of the guards liked to buy from the vendors. Park was guilty of buying crayons for his brother.

The hotel towered above him, ranging over a hundred floors with glass covering the outside. The City consisted of many large buildings stretching too high for comfort, Park covering his arms as if he were shivering. When he passed by commoners, he set his shoulders and clenched his jaw, not bothering to return their bows.

He received salutes, stares, and bows as he went, but he continued down his path without so much as glancing at them. His eyes never parted from his target: the skyscraper disguised as a hotel. The summit was too close for comfort. Every year, the Emperor hosted a summit with the "leaders" of every district of New Theon. Representatives from the Islands of Thermus came too, but they were so far, it didn't matter what the Emperor did.

Park went inside the hotel and almost gagged at the sight. Pristine walls with glistening holograms flashing in his face. All propaganda about the Emperor and his "good deeds." If only Park knew what those good deeds were. He wished he could shove his sword through every screen he saw.

"Commander," a female receptionist said from behind the giant front desk. The lobby was massive, stretching out and forming an oval shape with a ceiling at least four Park's tall. Janitors rushed around, whipping their mops back and forth in a poor attempt to hide the muddy footsteps Park dragged in.

"At ease," he replied, the brunette dipping her head and sitting behind her desk once more. She was the only one. Despite the four holograms seated on the desk, the singular receptionist oversaw it all. Park would admire it if there wasn't bile burning the back of his throat.

Park shoved his hands in his pockets and traversed the area. Whiteness overtook him, the lights planted in the walls glistening and causing him to appear paler than usual. If the Emperor ever let Park out of his cell, maybe he'd have a tan. At this point, Yoongi was tanner than Park.

The elevators were in the back, near the janitor's closet that was locked when Park tried to open it. There was a waiting area, couches sprawled out with no guests on it. Not like many were allowed in the famous Emperor's hotel. Even Park wasn't, only under special jurisdiction. But the staff didn't know that. Knowing that information was far above their paygrade. Only a select few knew of what Park really was to the Emperor.

The elevator dinged, Park stepping inside and preparing to press the button to go to the top floor. He froze. A password. Right next to the panel displaying the number of floors, there was a keypad asking for the password. He tried pressing on the top floor, the one hundred and first, but nothing worked.

Park could ask for the password, but that would require him to speak to the receptionist again. Park had two options: social interaction, or climbing over a hundred flights of stairs.

He chose the stairs.

By the end of it, he didn't bother panting. After years and years of training, he discovered panting was a waste of time. Not that it mattered. When he saw the Emperor's suite before him, he knew there were far more important matters.

Park peeked down the corridor; nothing. The Emperor's suite was the only room on the entire floor. No janitors, maids, workers. Just Park and the room a couple feet away. He came closer, pressing his hand against the scanner. Much to his surprise and dismay, it opened.

This was the room the rebellion wanted to enter. With Jungkook's hacking skills, they were confident they could get in. The least Park could do was tell them what to expect. A hotel with over a hundred floors, the top one being the Emperor's suite. The elevator had a password the rebels likely couldn't get. If Park's understanding was clear, then only the higher-ups got clearance to use elevators. Peasants like the commoners had to take the stairs.

The inside was barren. It was a curved room, shaped like a cylinder if it had been hit with a hammer in the middle. The path to the single, king-sized bed was full of navy blue carpets. Holograms shined on the walls that matched the color of the walls and ceiling outside. Unlike the outside, the lights were dim, illuminating the same shade as the carpets Park's boots stained. He didn't know if he was staining it with mud or incompetence.

There were two rooms in the suite beside the main room, the one he was in. The bed seemed large enough to fit three people, the mattress softer than anything Park had ever seen. It made him sick to his stomach.

His eyes darted to the doors. He opened one. A bathroom, just as dark as the rest of the room. It had a bath shaped in a circle. The bath had jets, unlit candles resting on the sides. There were more soaps on the sink than Park knew what to do with. He was never allowed to bathe with soap. Only water.

Park stepped out, peering over the bedroom one more time until he spotted a safe near the corner of the room. Jungkook could hack it. The metal box had a hologram keypad in front of it, begging for a password. Park didn't know it. He felt like he didn't know anything nowadays.

That left one room. Park approached, opening it in time for his body to freeze. His lungs filled with the poison he called oxygen, his eyes bulging while his veins shot spikes of agony disguised as adrenaline through his figure.

The Emperor.

Emperor Donovan remained seated behind his desk, the office lighter than what Park had seen. There was a bookshelf the size of the entire wall behind the metal desk with a hologram on it. The Emperor kept his gaze on the screen for a few more beats before swiping it away, his eyes landing on Park's.

"I don't remember granting you permission to come to the City," he said, standing. The chair creaked as he stood, his elegant robes draping down his figure.

"With all due respect, the City is in shambles. The people need containment before they get any ideas."

"Ideas?" Emperor Donovan asked in a spit, rolling the single word around his mouth as if it were foreign. "Ideas for what, Commander?"

"The rebellion is growing in the outer district, I don't want it to spread here."

"That still doesn't answer why you're in my hotel room."

Park didn't think this far. The Emperor spent most of his time at the castle, signing paperwork and creating laws that'd push the people deeper into poverty and despair. The idea that the Emperor would be here didn't even cross his mind.

"I have access to it," Park said, but he knew the excuse was weak as it fell from his parched lips.

Emperor Donovan clicked his tongue and moved to the one window on the left side of the room. Park backed up, the carpets screaming at him not to move any further.

"You're a very interesting creature," Emperor Donovan said, Park holding his arm to stop it from trembling. "You've gotten bolder recently. You're acting like a rebellious teen at twenty-seven years old. How pathetic is that, Commander? Sometimes I wonder if you were worth the trouble. Maybe your brother would make a better candidate-"

"No!" Park swallowed the moisture in his mouth before clearing his throat. "No sir. My brother never got the chance to mature. Training him is futile."

"Futile." Emperor Donovan shifted his head to stare at him. "That sounds funny, coming from you. When I first saw you, you could barely tell me your name."

"I prefer showing my thoughts through actions, sir."

"I know," Emperor Donovan said with a drawl. "Which is why I set another appointment up for you."

Park stiffened. "It's been a while."

"A year, but our relations with Moros are nonexistent. We need someone to bridge the gap. She's a higher-up. Don't do what you always do."

"What, sir?"

"Fuck up."

Park hung his head. "Yes sir," he said, then, after straightening his posture, "when is it?"

"Tomorrow. She's in the castle now. Go back and make her comfortable. If it happens tonight, I'm sure she won't complain. You can be a hospitable host, right?" Park's silence was enough of an answer. "Good. Now go."

Without hesitation, Park stormed out and fled to the stairs. Unlike the rest of the hotel, it was gray and dirty. It smelled of vomit mixed with baked beans. There were no sounds except Park's rushed breathing as he held back his tears. They squeezed out anyway, writhing around his lids before waltzing down his face and onto the floor.

Park sat, backing himself into the corner and tucking his knees against his chest. His hands shuddered, his stub rubbing on his knee. Every breath that passed his tongue felt as though it'd collapse his lungs. His stomach faded from his body, leaving him with the thump of his heartbeat as his ears rung and his vision blurred.

He held his hands over his ears, burying his forehead against his legs and whimpering. "Please stop," he cried out, keeping his voice as low as he could. The memories clawed their way through the back of his brain, ripping at anything they could touch until a chasm formed. A whine infected his vocal chords, wrapping around them and choking him. Dizziness fogged him. That was when he made the decision to slip off the edge and fall into the void.

By the time he returned, he was on the ground in a fetal position. A minute could have passed. Maybe ten. Maybe an hour. It occurred to him that the Emperor was alone. If Park had the strength, a single sword stroke would end the entire war. Yet Park stayed where he was, his knees against his chest and his tears rolling across his nose and onto the ground.

The flickering lights above him highlighted his shadow. It hugged him, whispering sweet nothings. Park scratched his four-fingered hand against the ground, rubbing his lips together. Another woman. Park thought he got away, he thought at least that part was over, but it came back, just like his shadow each time the light flicked. Park held the cloak of himself, staring at the soulless beast that accompanied him. No one cared. No one listened. Park was forgotten. Abandoned. If he was out of sight for more than a minute, his memory faded from existence, gone like a murmur in the wind.

Now, he waited for his shadow to forget him too.

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 𝓘 𝓦𝓪𝓲𝓽 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓜𝔂 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓭𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓸 𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓜𝓮 ˚｡➶˚┊

A/N: Why Jimin got a panic attack from that conversation will be explored later, so keep that in the back of your minds as the story progresses. A lot of drama is coming up, so stay tuned for more. I hope you enjoyed! The last chapter was crazy so this one was a little shorter.