A/N: 

hi everyone! :) hope ur day is flying as high as the clouds! (in a good way, mind u) 

i'm in a conundrum becauuuuseee

i can't decide whether i hate mr. park or jihoon more.

like, mr. park would kill lucio and is tryna kill taehyung, yet jihoon kinda killed jimin in the first book...both sent armies out to Noirwood and killed tons of people..

hmmm...this is difficult! jihoon tortured taehyung in the first book...but didn't mr. park technically do the same by keeping jimin in the crypt for so long? isn't that torturous? 

gosh...idk. let me know what you think. who would you rather dump into a dunk tank of killer sharks, jihoon or mr. park?

honestly, i kinda think jihoon. hate me all you want, i jus don't like that guy, happy he's dead...

(or should i say undead...)

loveyouall! <3

izzyyyy

~~~~~~~~~~~

Jungkook raced through the halls of the Laurel Castle, eyes scouring each and every side hallway for the evil man on the loose. Surrounding him were detached screams, distressed shouting, and servants racing about with very pale faces. 

"Shit! Out of the way!"

"Mov--is that Prince...Jeon?"

"Move move move!"

The ravenette scooted out of the way of a group of servants carrying a bleeding man down the hallway. He made eye contact with all of them--which let him know that they could see him. The mask Jimin had placed had worn off. Ignoring their curious stares, he leaned over the blood-covered man, scanning his injuries over.

Blood poured from the man's stomach, a large incision slicing down his front. His face was bruised, unrecognizable, as if someone had dragged his face across the glass of a broken window. 

"What happened to him?"

The Oak Prince demanded the servants a little too harshly. He had a pretty good idea of what could inflict this level of damage upon a human, but he wanted to hear it for his own ears.

"Uh..." One of the Laurel Servants grunted as he struggled to hold the man up. "Some man did this to him in the library. Saw it with my own eyes. Don't think he was a zombie, though, Prince Jeon. He didn't seem to move like them. He would have killed me too if it wasn't for Mr. Kim."

"You said the library?" Jungkook bit at his lips anxiously. Why did everything have to happen in the library? "Was anyone else with him?"

The man nodded solemnly. "Yeah, one other man. Kinda short, white hair-"

Jungkook bolted down the hall, yelling thanks out to the man who only gave him a strange look. Which was normal, given the fact that the kingdom hadn't seen or heard of his whereabouts for days. In a matter of seconds, Jungkook was at the door to the library. He listened in for the telltale sounds of fighting, but he couldn't hear much through the thick doors.

"Taehyung." He whispered, hoping that the blonde behind the doors could hear him. "I'm coming in, tell Jimin to come by the doors so I can give him power."

Jungkook waited a few seconds, hearing a few thumps coming from inside the room. Right as he was about to throw the door open, it opened from the inside, revealing Park Jimin, red-faced, in the headlock of his father. Behind them was a groaning Taehyung, buried in the rubble of a broken bookshelf. A wide cut bled on his forehead, and he offered a weak smile to Jungkook when he managed to lift his head up from under a splintered board.

"Nice to see you, Jeon." Mr. Park gritted as he tightened his grip on Jimin's throat. Jimin's eyes were hardly focused, red-eyes foggy from the lack of oxygen to his brain. "Ready to play?"

Jungkook screamed in anger, rushing towards the man's legs and tackling both Parks to the floor. Jimin rolled out of his father's headlock, gasping and coughing for air. Taehyung chucked a book at Mr. Park's head as he removed himself from the wreckage, sending Mr. Park backwards into Jungkook's chest.

Mr. Park gasped once he came into contact with the ravenette, his hands wrapping around Jungkook's midsection. The old man tensed up, almost seemed to vibrate as he held onto Jungkook as if his life depended on it.

"What is this...power?"

A sinister smile grew across the demon's face as he realized the hidden potential within Jungkook's new demon form. The ravenette grimaced, elbowing Mr. Park in the stomach to try and rid himself from the demon.

"Get off of me!"

Jungkook wiggled around in the tight vice around him, a portion of his energy being drawn out, stolen from him. The blue fire he normally felt mingling with his mind was yanked violently out of him, each draw of power from the older making the inside of him feel as if it was being scooped out.

Mr. Park seemed to only grow more insane, digging his nails into the ravenette's sides as he stood them up. At the motion, Jungkook's body grew cold, the very breath sucked out of his lungs as the parasite attached to him continued to sequester his energy.

"S-stop...g-get o-off of m...me..."

Jungkook weakly tried to pry the man's hands from his body but it was no use. Mr. Park's eyes were glowing with power, the demon's grip tightening on his clothes. With every second that passed by, Jungkook felt his force draining. His silver eyes began to fade, surroundings moving in slow motion as his arms stopped fighting the man altogether.

"SO THIS IS YOUR POWER SOURCE!"

Mr. Park laughed maniacally as Jimin stumbled forward to try and stop his father from hurting Jungkook any longer. Taehyung grabbed more books, each one hitting Mr. Park in the legs. They did little except piss Jimin's father off more. 

"Let him go, FUCKHEAD!"

Jimin flew through the air, twisting to avoid his father's arm. His body moved quickly, yanking on Mr. Park's arm to briefly release Jungkook. The ravenette collapsed onto the floor, unable to keep himself upright with his damaged body.

Mr. Park lunged to grab the prince that had fallen but was stopped by a livid blonde. Taehyung kicked Mr. Park across the room and into a bookcase, stalking after him with blood dripping down his face.

"Why won't you die old man?!"

Taehyung leapt onto Mr. Park's chest, driving him into the broken wood of the bookshelf. In response, Mr. Park grabbed Taehyung's ankle and tugged downwards with uncanny force. The blonde cried out as he slammed onto the floor, smacking his head against the library floor with a very painful crack.

Meanwhile, Jimin rushed to Jungkook's hardly moving body. The ravenette was slowly rolling onto his side, muttering profanities to the floor. Jimin felt his heart clench as Jungkook's gaze fell on him with such blankness that he knew the younger was suffering from internal damage. Jungkook was completely out of it.

And if Jungkook couldn't muster his power before the castle was overrun by zombies...

"Hi, Jimin." Jungkook lifted his arms up slowly, towards the half-blood. His lips were trembling weakly, hands shaking. "C-could you...h-help me...?"

Jimin hated the sight of Jungkook looking so weak before him. He grabbed onto the ravenette to try and heal him while Taehyung struggled with his father. Mr. Park was almost fully energized after stealing Jungkook's power, making their objective a lot harder. 

"Listen, Kook." Jimin knelt down and hugged Jungkook's body close to him. He focused on Jungkook's limp body and how much he loved the younger. He hoped the strength of their connection could help him reenergize the portion of Jungkook that could generate power. "I...we need to do some acting, okay? I'm going to try and heal you, but you need to pretend to be too far gone for me, okay Kook? We need to use this to our advantage, to trick my father. Nod once if you understand. Then I'll tell you and Tae the plan."

Jungkook's head bobbed once, feebly.

"Okay, Kook. I love you, remember that."

While Jimin whispered the rest of his plan into the ear of a half-delirious Jungkook, Taehyung listened to the makeshift plan as he wrangled Mr. Park into more bookshelves. 

"Stupid asshole!"

The blonde kept screaming rude titles at the demon who never seemed to tire of fighting. However, Taehyung was making some progress, cutting up Mr. Park's face with the corners of books and the sharp edges of bookcases. Luck was on Taehyung's side as he dodged most of Mr. Park's deadly blows; he knew that if this lasted any longer than a few minutes that he was definitely going to get seriously injured.

"Come here you egregious bastard!"

Taehyung chanted mockingly as he leapt on top of a bookshelf, balancing himself with ease. Mr. Park joined him on the top of the piece of furniture, about eight feet into the air. Before he spoke, Mr, Park peeked at the desperation on Jimin's face while he held Jungkook on the other side of the library.

"Looks like you might not be the first dead after all, Kim!" Mr. Park pointed at Jungkook laying sprawled on Jimin's lap, eyes closed and head lolling. "Prince Jeon won't be able to get revived after he dies as a demon! HAHAH!"

Even if Taehyung knew Jungkook was acting, the thought of Mr. Park reveling in Jungkook's death pissed him off. He brought a hand up to wipe the blood off of his cheek before he crossed his arms.

"You won't be able to kill me, old man." Taehyung spit out some blood on the dusty book case top. "Because you won't be able to catch me."

With that, Taehyung ran along the tops of the bookcases, leaping from shelf to shelf as he made his way into the depths of the library. He needed to draw Mr. Park away from the others if the plan that Jimin was whispering across the library was going to work. 

"Kinda slow there, yeah?"

Mr. Park's malicious drawl came from closer than Taehyung expected; he couldn't believe the power that the man had stolen from Jungkook had made him faster and stronger for such a prolonged time. 

"I'll give you a horribly painful death. Don't you worry, Kim!"

But Taehyung didn't dare look back--even one peek over his shoulder could slow him down and give Mr. Park an advantage over the three demons. He sped up his pace, chasing the wild hope that everything would finally pan out.

"Looking forward to it!"

*     *     *

"Where should we go, Flor?"

Eonjin rushed down the halls with Florian in stride, ignoring the looks she was receiving from passing servants. Screams filtered into her ears from the ruckus taking place in the foyer. Rose's tears felt cold against Eonjin's neck, and the empty space where Lucio was still had her in shock. Florian paused at a hallway intersection, considering their options.

"Let's go to-"

"FIRE!"

A hysterical servant sprinted past them, eyes wide with his new discovery. From behind the running man, the pair saw heavy, black smoke puffing out from a set of double doors. 

"What the..." Florian gave Eonjin a look that told her he wanted to investigate. She shook her head vehemently, mouth drawing into a fine line. "No, Flor. Don't you dare go towards that fire-"

"I'll be right back!" Florian set Lucio down next to Eonjin's leg. "I'm not going in--just stay at this end of the hall, I'll be within sight the entire time."

Florian gave Eonjin a quick kiss before she had time to argue with him about risking his life. The kids gazed afraid at the smoke that began to fog up the hall, making it harder and harder to see. Eonjin watched as her husband darted into the smoke, covering his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.

"FLORIAN! GET BACK HERE!"

Rose squirmed around in Eonjin's grasp, legs hitting Lucio. Upon being nudged, Lucio became visible to the two females, pouting his lips.

"Stop it, Rosie, ow it hurts!"

The girl eventually wiggled out of Eonjin's grasp, her tiny features set with determination. Eonjin grabbed Rose's small wrist in between her own fingers, holding the girl back from sprinting into the smoke after Florian.

"Rose! What do you think you're doing?!"

Rose's tear-streaked cheeks puffed out in worry. She tugged on Eonjin's arm violently, trying to break away from her aunt's vice. "I...I have ice! I need to stop the fire!"

Lucio gnawed on his thumb out of nervous habit, watching Eonjin struggle to hold Rose back. He kept glancing between the growing smoke cloud and the back of Rose's head. 

"Eonjin, let her go! She has ice power!"

Lucio grabbed at Eonjin's fingers, trying to pry them off of Rose. The blonde woman shook her head, pushing Lucio away lightly.

"Stop it, the both of you! I'm trying to protect you from getting hurt! What would your parents say about this?!"

Almost immediately, Rose responded. "Tae would let me go! Daddy would tell me to help Florian! I can do it, Eonjin!"

Lucio chimed in as well. "Rose is powerful! Let her!"

Conflicted with the things she was hearing, Eonjin hesitantly let the girl out of her grasp. Rose gave her a small smile of gratitude, running off towards the smoking doors of what Eonjin remembered to be the library of the Laurel Castle.

"Wait!" Eonjin lifted Lucio up and jogged after the girl. "Rose, by me!"

The silver-haired girl glanced back, nodding as she slowed her pace. As they made their way down a hallway contaminated by smoke, a murky figure showed up in the distance, yelling something. She instantly recognized the build of the figure to be Florian, shouting past flames that engulfed the doorway of the library.

"IS HE OKAY?!"

Florian shouted into the doorway. Eonjin could barely make out the response, but it was there. The slight high-pitched male voice belonged to a very aggravated Jimin it seemed.

"I CAN'T FIND HIM! I CAN'T SEE WITH ALL THE SMOKE AND FLAMES!"

Eonjin didn't realize Rose had completely left her side until she saw the little girl sprinting up to Florian. Her husband was incredulous at seeing the little girl there, even more so when he spotted Eonjin and Lucio close by. 

"Eonjin! What are you doing!" Florian swatted the air, motioning for her to move. "Get back, it's dangerous!"

As if on cue, one of the supporting beams of the library's doorway collapsed, sending up sparks and dust. Eonjin coughed intensely, covering Lucio with her body. Florian did the same, protecting Rose's small form from the flames reaching out towards them.

"FLORIAN! ARE YOU OKAY?"

The second voice coming from the library was different, but it wasn't the voice Eonjin expected. It was Jungkook's voice, raw with fear and smoke. A part of her felt selfish when the pit of her stomach dropped, hoping that the well-being of the male they were discussing before wasn't Taehyung. 

"Wait! WAIT! The person you said you couldn't find before...is my brother!?"

Eonjin yelled into the doorway. She couldn't even see Jimin or Jungkook past the bright inferno of oranges and yellows. 

"EONJIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" 

Jimin's voice dripped with worry--she could hear Jungkook say something too, but her focus wasn't on their reaction to her presence. It was on the little silver-haired girl that suddenly pushed herself away from Florian's legs to run straight into the fire.

"ROSE, STOP!"

Eonjin stumbled forward with Lucio in her arms, only to crash into Florian who was also moving to retrieve the girl. Before they could collect themselves, Rose had completely disappeared into the flames.

"Rose?!" Florian screamed out into the doorway. After not receiving a response, he turned to Eonjin, who struggled to breathe amidst the thickening smoke. "ARE YOU OKAY?"

The idea of a little girl burning alive made Eonjin dizzy, not to mention the fact that neither Florian nor Lucio seemed to be freaking out at Rose's disappearance. 

"No, n-no..." Eonjin wobbled on her feet, tears beading in her eyes. "No, I'm not..."

Florian almost missed Eonjin as she lurched to the side, setting Lucio down harshly. Up came the contents of her stomach onto the side of the wall as she swore she smelled hair burning. 

Rose...her sweet niece...

"Look!" She could faintly hear Lucio shuffling excitedly on the hallway floor. "The fire is going away!"

Eonjin lifted her eyes from the charred wall to see the flames fizzling out. Florian, who was initially headed towards her to offer comfort, now clapped his hands together at the sight of the flames dwindling. A few moments later, Eonjin saw how it was possilble--a growing sheet of ice spread across the floor, halting the flames from causing more damage.

Then, through the receding wall of fire, Eonjin saw something that took her breath away. She straightened, wiping at her mouth when she saw Rose walking hand in hand with Jungkook, the ground under her feet freezing as they moved. Eonjin could hardly speak.

"H-how...woah..."

The ravenette gave all of them a look of relief when he met their gaze, although his entire aura was rather diminished. His silver eyes appeared a worn out, dull gray. However, the proud smile on his lips was enough to lift Eonjin's spirits.

"Jungkook! Thank God you're okay."

Florian joined the father/daughter group with a side hug. When the ravenette reached Eonjin and Lucio, the air was at least ten degrees colder around the silver-haired girl. To her surprise, Jungkook's lips were light purple, hands trembling with the cold as his daughter went to work putting out the last of the flames.

Lucio jumped up and down. "Rose did it! But Rosie, your hair is burnt."

"Oh?"

The tiny girl felt for her normally long silver locks with her free hand. Her small fingers met with the black tips of singed hair and she frowned. Lucio ran up to her, feeling it for himself in awe. 

Once all the fire was out, Jungkook unleashed his daughter's hand, leaning heavily against Florian's shoulder for support.

"What h-happened? Is...Mr. Park..." Eonjin was afraid to ask the question. Jungkook looked at her somberly.

"I...don't know. The last time I checked, your brother was pummeling Mr. Park with a dictionary on fire."

Eonjin's eyes widened. She glanced past the ravenette into the smoke filled library. "Then what? Did you or Jimin find Taehyung? Is he okay?"

Jungkook's face told Eonjin all she needed to know. He had no idea--was as clueless and worried as her. Very gingerly, he eased himself off of Florian's shoulder, struggling to hold himself up.

"That's what I need to go find out."

Jungkook swiveled on his heel and left Rose standing by herself as he dove into the mystery that was the scene of the library. 

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