....I'm so sorry. 

edit: koko please this comment made me weep

No, legit, I'm sweating as I'm writing this rn 

I don't expect yall to forgive me like at all

And whats worse is that theres going to be a plot twist RIGHT after this and afterward yall would probs want my head on a spear so you guys want double update or nah?

neway pls dont hate me too much because you know I love you all so so so sosoosososososososo much and I would gladly have my head speared for you 

also oof yall 2.3k words....not as impressive as @christinaxmorton    who been recently poppin out dem 3k or 5k chapters (WHILE STILL MANAGING TO BE AMAZING) and the amazing

@ninjakoko who does that every chapter (KOKO HOW DO YOU MAKE SUCH LONG CHAPTERS AND HAVE THEM BE GODLY??) jisfe

and of course, @cherryficss who is trying her hardest to up her word count, but pahbo, quality over quantity. 

Enjoy! (i know you wont)

╔══════════════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══════════════╗

𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚜
𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜
𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝙸'𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖
𝙳𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝
𝙰 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚒 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎
𝙸 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚞𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚌
𝙼𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝
𝙸 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚏𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢
𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝
𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚛
𝚃𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠
𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚞𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚊
╚══════════════ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══════════════╝

__

The mass of people fell into silence, the only sound in the air being Jungkook's panicked yells as he desperately tried to feel for any sense of pulse in Elysian's arm.

'Someone!' He cried, shouting at the nearby citizens, 'Anyone! Please! Help!'

Nobody moved.

Jungkook gritted his teeth, 'Anyone! One of you fools must have some medical knowlege!'

'The only fool here is you,' the captain suddenly spoke, turning his nose up at the sight of Jungkook's tears, 'nobody will help. I will make sure of that.'

And to prove it, he turned toward the crowd that had formed and bellowed, 'ANY CITIZEN HERE, ALIVE OR DEAD, CHILDREN OR ADULT, MAN OR WOMAN, IF ANY OF YOU WERE TO HELP THE GIRL, IT SHALL BE AN ACT OF TREASON, AND YOU SHALL BE THEREFORE EXHILED!'

Hushed whispers rang throughout the mass of bodies.

"We should stay away."

"How scary...nothing we can do about, though."

"He shouldn't have challenged the royal officials anyway..."

The captain turned around, triumphant in having the crowd agree, 'See?! Nobody will help you. So just suck in those tears again, boy, and hand over the soul from the well.'

At that moment, something sparked in Jungkook. Something burned and tore at his heart as if someone put a lump of embers inside. Something so powerful that he silently picked up his dagger and chucked it in a linear line, slicing through the hearts of every soldier in that direction. One by one, they fell like dominos, metal armor scraping against one another.

Gasps of pain and cries for their mother arose from the fallen soldiers as Jungkook called his dagger back again.

'Should anyone entertain the idea of harming the girl, let those men be an example of what you'll become.'

Instantly, the civilians stepped back, some tucking their children away and some simply running for their lives. The hushed whispers no longer spoke of pity and saying how Jungkook should've known better. Rather, the rumors and murmurs were instead directed at him this time.

"Don't look, he might be mentally ill."

"How tragic! To have someone like him be running around in our peaceful kingdom!"

"Someone call the mental asylum."

He didn't care what those people thought of him or his actions. Although he dons a motley, Jungkook's neurons weren't patch-worked in the slightest.

With a flick of his wrist, another line of soldiers fell. He did this so fluidly that before all the soldiers even had a chance to fall to the ground, two more lines of men were killed, leaving only the captain.

He shed no tears at the loss of his comrades, didn't even feign melancholy. He still sat upon his hose, high and mighty, and he still wore the obnoxious smirk like a crown.

'Are you going to kill me too?' the captain asked.

Jungkook spun his dagger around his thumb before holding it firm, 'Give me a reason not to.'

'Why, what reason is there to give? To kill, or not to kill; to live, or not to live, none of it matters to me. Pray tell, fool, why did you think I became the captain?' Without waiting for Jungkook's response, he continued, 'Why, it's because I fear neither life nor death. I make no relations to anyone, and I don't indulge in anything other than war. So, kill me, fool. It doesn't matter to me. The girl will die no matter what you do.'

When Jungkook made no move, the captain's grin widened.

'I see...you kill only those who don't want to die. You spare those who desire to be killed. What a rogue, indeed.' He raised his arms up, 'At this rate, you will never find happiness--'

Before he could finish his sentence, bursts of red streamed from his mouth.

'You mistake me, captain. I was simply waiting for a time when you were most vulnerable. Do not underestimate that I didn't notice your arms shielding areas where you could be fatally wounded.'

'Y-You little,' the captain hacked, '...Mark my words, fool. Someone like you was fated to have a bad ending from the very start...'

And then, the captain perished.

♤♤♤♤

With the rest of the civilians gone, the army of men dead, and the area within a two-hundred mile of Jungkook and Elysian barren, the jester could finally slump to the ground. He momentarily raised his head, locking his eyes with Elysian's gray ones, who had miraculously survived this long. Perhaps it was her determination to bid Jungkook a final farewell, or, perhaps, for the fairy-tale lovers, it was the magic of love.

'...Elysian...would you think of me as highly as before after seeing that?'

She let out a weak smile, 'Fool, I never thought of you as highly even before this. Not once.'

At last, Jungkook's signature smile finally rested on his face. Of course, it was quickly wiped off when Elysian let out a series of coughs.

Jungkook ran his hands through his hair, 'I-I need to take you to a medic! You're going to...I-I don't want to think about what would happen to you if you don't get medical care soon.'

'Then let's not think about that, shall we?'

Suddenly, he was angry.

'Not think about it?! You're in critical stage right now! If I don't think about it, then there won't be a you to think about! Heavens, I'm wasting time just by rambling! Come, now! You need a doc-'

When he attempted to pick her up, his hands fell through.

Elysian's glassy eyes turned starward, where she may reside in the next couple of hours.

'See...? It's hopeless. It's better to give me what I want,' She looked at him, 'And I want you to come closer. Not some pathetic doctor who'll think he can drain illnesses out by drawing blood.'

He obeyed, moving closer to her.

'Closer,' she commanded.

He moved closer.

'Not close enough!'

He was too worried to get annoyed. And so, when their faces were finally three inches apart, Elysian leaned over and gently brushed her lips against his.

It would be generous to call it a kiss. Elysian had become basically a spirit at that point, after all. A dry brush was what it was, at the most.

Yet, it was everything to Jungkook.

'Remember to always believe, okay?'

'Yes...'

'And that I'll kick you in the shins again for being mean to people who don't deserve it, alright?'

'Yes...'

Tears fell from her eyes as Elysian attempted to laugh, 'And stop giving me one-worded responses...'

At that, he chose not to respond at all.

She was almost invisible now but still managed to speak somewhat.

'I love you,' she said.

After a while, he finally spoke.

'...Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook.'

'What?'

He forced out the words through tears, 'My name...is Jungkook...'

Anyone at that moment would've seen a man talking to dirt, but for those with keen eyes, a ghost of a girl could be seen, eyes shining as bright as she could muster as Jungkook heard the last thing that would ever come out of Elysian's mouth.

'I wish I could say your name more than once, Jeon Jungkook.'

And with that, she faded from this world.

♤♤♤

One drop of tear amongst many fell from Jungkook's eyes, landing where Elysian's heart was just before she disappeared. That one drop of liquid, filled with anguish, salt, and love, formed into a pendant of ivory pearl. Its face was smooth, but a black, jagged line ran through the center of the gem.

Jungkook knew that this pendant would restore life to those who would wear it. And he knew that the king was in desperate need of it.

The king, Jungkook quickly remembered.

He carefully placed the pendant of Elysian's soul into a side pouch, brushing his thumb over the nooks and crannies scattered around the otherwise smooth stone.

He had decided, right then and there.

Facing west and eyes settling on the castle where the king resided, Jungkook, trodding with heavy footsteps, entered the gate. It might be risky; it might've even been foolish for anyone to do what Jungkook planned.

But Jeon Jungkook's entire profession was being a fool.

And there was nothing a fool couldn't do. Even if the love in his heart was curdled and blackened.

♤♤♤

There, at the throne, was the king.

'I see you're back, Fool.'

Jungkook harshly bit his cheek to contain his anger. This man was responsible for everything, he thought. This man is the one who set me out on a journey, fully knowing I would kill someone and had no qualms doing so, he thought.

'Ah, is that the pendant I see? I'm impressed. You came back with it after all. Alive, at that.'

"Stay calm," he told himself, "You'll give yourself away..."

Forcing on a saccharine smile, Jungkook suppressed his rage down to a small simmer of detest.

'Why it was all because of you, my lord. That things turned out this way, I mean.'

To the king, it was praise. To him, Jeon Jungkook only returned safely because he was on his mind. But to those who know the entire story, like you, like me, and like Jungkook, it was a statement of bitter contempt, an accusation to his sovereign.

"You did this! You made her die! It's all your fault!" Ran through the jester's mind.

'Hmm, I see the journey has changed you. Finally respecting your monarch. Come hither, fool. After this, you shall be rewarded.'

The king reached out his arm for the pendant, and Jungkook extended out his with it. The pearly stone suspended mere inches away from the palm of his ruler's hand. Just as he was about to close his fist around the stone, Jungkook snatched it from his grasp.

'Fool,' the king began, anger rising as well as his coughs, 'what do you think you're doing?! Give me the pedent.'

Instead of answering his questions, Jungkook prompted his own for the feeble king.

'Sir, have you ever been in love?'

The king's eyes widened, then narrowed.

'What kind of a question is that?! Of course, I do...' He looked away, stifling a cough, '...I did.'

'May I query, what happened to her?'

'She died giving birth to our child. Neither her nor our daughter survived.'

'How unfortunate. You have my condolences. Two individuals who would've been the love of your lives, one romantic, one of fatherly endearment, were wiped from this world.'

Jungkook looked at his king straight in the eye, '...Do you know why I'm asking you this?'

He continued without listening for a response, 'We're similar, my king. I, too, had my love ripped away from me.'

'Is that so, fool?'

Jungkook's tone darkened, 'Yes...except, what divides you and me, is that the life of my love was claimed by your soldier's hands!'

After declaring this, Jungkook brandished out the dagger he was hiding, pointing at the king's face. No guards were there to witness, for all of them were outside the gate, decaying by the thousands.

'You see, your friendly soldiers shot arrow after arrow to my beloved Elysian. Until, of course, a shot meant to kill me killed her. What a valiant soul, stepping in front of such a large sword like that. She should've been rewarded for that brave act, don't you think, liege? She shouldn't have died but she did. But of course, you knew that, huh, Father?'

The Jester's sneer spread wider as he started doing tricks with his dagger, dangling it from finger to finger by its hilt, the blade coming in dangerously close to the king's eyes.

'Was it because I ruined your reputation? This love-child you created one night with the head of the maid? That sent your wife in such a frenzy she died right on the bed that was supposed to be used to bring a new life into this world instead of two deaths?!! So why shouldn't I flatline your heartbeat before your mind can even process the ecstasy??!!! Why shouldn't I scatter and burn the garden before your tongue can even taste the red fruit?'

Tears were falling from both Jungkook and his father's eyes now.

'ANSWER ME!' he screamed, voice raw.

Now, if this were a happy story, the king might've sobbed his eyes out and begged for forgiveness for being a lousy father to his son, no matter if he was created from an affair or not. However, Jeon Jungkook's story is not a fairy-tale. And because of that, no happy endings are guaranteed.

After a long pause, the king finally replied.

'Give me the pendant, fool. I have no answer for you.'

Jungkook angrily wiped away his tears and slowly brought the knife to the pendant and made a slicing motion, but never letting the blade touch the smooth surface of the stone. Elysian was inside there, after all.

Yet, it worked.

Instantly, the king stood up from his throne, managing to extinguish several coughs and groans.

'Fool! Give it!'

'Never! Not unless you acknowledge I'm your son!'

'YOU AREN'T MY SON! YOU'RE JUST AN UNNECESSARY PROBLEM CREATED BY THAT WENCH! IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU OR HER, MY WIFE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE AND WE WOULD HAVE A HEIRESS!'

He stumbled toward Jungkook just as the jester raised his dagger.

'DON'T SPEAK OF MY MOTHER THAT WAY!'

He swung his fist grasping the knife down, and a sickening sound of slicing through flesh was heard.

Jungkook forced himself to look at the carnage he caused and pushed down bile threatening to come out of his throat. But what he did was done. And being the remaining person in the kingdom with royal blood, Jungkook would have to be the prince of his kingdom.

No, a king, he decided.

Bringing the pendant with Elysian's soul toward his cheek, he whispered one thing.

'Shall you be my queen, Elysian?'

And so, in the land far, far away, the sun shone for the first time upon that kingdom. Jeon Jungkook, who was considered nothing more than the king's court joker, rose to the throne.

He could only wish that Elysian saw how far he had come.

__

Follow these people and lets pray they dont hate me now ;; 

@ninjakoko - "The Night of Horror"

@cherryficss - "Fate" & "Signal"

@christinaxmorton - "Reason"