"I will be gathering forces from The Styx," Yoongi said, looking out with a stoic expression. "I think they should be able to get here in three days."

"And I will sent word to my parents," Taehyung added, carefully placing his hand over the king's and intertwining their pinkies.

Jimin's eyes darted from the king and the prince to the seer, and he leaned back in his chair. "It seems I should write to my brother then? If he has it in him to go to war..."

The tent remained quiet, and the ravenhaired prince grew weary of the boring meeting. "I think I shall send him a message this instant. Can I borrow one of you men?"

The seer nodded almost unnoticeably.
"Yes, prince Jimin."

Jimin pushed himself up from his seat, leaning in to softly peck Jungkook's cheek.

"Do let me know if the plans change," he whispered into his ear, before leaning away to slip out of the tent. "I would hate to be left out..."

_______________________

Dear brother,

I am sure you will be happy to hear from me, but there is no time for me to explain everything. Just know that I am well.

I write to you with an urgent message. You were right about everything. The demigod was behind it all, yet he has the heretics at the temple fooled into believing he is on their side. He killed our dear father, slaughtered hundreds of people, and even murdered six innocent women after raping them. He is a beast, brother. A horrible monster. A fanthom of evil.

He caused this darkness. He has secretly raised an army of thousands of dark creatures.

Yoongi and Taehyung have rallied their troops as well, though they are unaware of the fact that it is the demigod they are supposed to be fighting.

Please, save me from this horrible half-god before he destroys us all.

Your dear, desperate brother.

After finishing the letter at the desk in his tent, Jimin rolled up the papyrus and handed it to one of the seer's followers. "Give this to my brother directly."

The young boy dressed in white gulped. "Yes, Your Highness, but how will I reach him? He still has the capitol locked."

Jimin hummed, his eyes crinkling. "Tell the guards to tell him it's from a secret member of the royal council. He will know then."

The boy bowed, and hurriedly left the prince's tent to do as he had been ordered.

Jimin sighed and rolled his shoulders, wishing he could speed up time as now all he could do was wait.

The prince imagined it all with a smile on his face. He would fulfill his destiny and turn this world into a dark and quiet place. He would not be a cruel king like his father, or an unstable one like his brother. He would be loved... eventually. Loved and feared, and most of all admired.

Jimin looked at the entrance of his tent, perking a brow when a certain redheaded prince shuffled inside with his hands behind his back.

The prince sat back, folding his legs. "Taehyung... what is it? Did the plans end up changing after all?"

The redheaded prince raised his chin, and it looked as though he needed to gather every bit of confidence he had in him when he looked Jimin directly in the eyes. "No, nothing changed," he said. "And nothing will change unless-"

"Unless what?"

"Unless my best friend comes back," Taehyung blurted out as he balled his fists. "I know everything Jimin... and I'm done pretending to be clueless because none of this is helping you."

The prince took a shuddering breath. "I want my old soulmate back... who used to gossip with me about other royals, who used to comfort me whenever I was insecure about myself, who used to dream with me about finding true love. I always knew you had your darkness. Your demons. But Jiminie I know you have it in you to defeat them. I don't care what that Nyx goddess has been telling you, or how she has manipulated you into thinking this is somehow your destiny. I will always be your best friend! And you can't push me away that easily."

Jimin sat in silence as he listened to Taehyung speak from his heart so fiercely. He cocked his head, almost looking moved by the redhead's words as his cold eyes seemed to soften.

"So please!" Taehyung said, falling to his knees before the ravenhaired prince, holding the man's legs and bowing his head. "Come back to me Jiminie... come back to me and everything will be okay."

The redheaded sniffed and cried softly, feeling like he'd been talking to a wall when Jimin remained quiet. Like the wonderful boy he'd grown up with had died right before him and he'd never even noticed him closing his eyes.

But then, the red prince felt a hand fall on his head and comb through his feathery red locks, before falling to cup his face.

Jimin lifted Taehyung's chin, and there was a small smile playing along his lips as a single black tear dripped down his cheek. "I'm sorry, Taehyungie," he whispered. "I'm sorry for the way I've treated you... the things I said. I just needed you to leave me. This path I am on is one I need to walk alone, and I couldn't have you trailing after me."

Taehyung frantically shook his head.
"But Jimin you don't have to-"

"I know it hurts you to see that I have changed, but this is who I am now, Taehyungie. This is who I've always been. You just loved me too much to see it. For so long I have wished for this. I have told you about how I always felt useless and unwanted. But now Taehyungie, I finally feel in control. No one is pushing me down... no one is making me smaller... no one can silence me. I am... I am king."

"That feeling..." Taehyung said with a stuffy nose, looking up at Jimin with glistening eyes. "Does it make you happier than being with the demigod?"

The ravenhaired prince gulped, his smile fading slightly. He glanced away, and took his hand from Taehyung's face.

"Go, Taehyungie," he said softly.

The redhead began to cry again, desperately hugging Jimin's knees though the ravenhaired prince would not be moved any further.

"Go and be with Yoongi," he said stoicly. "While you still can..."

__________________

The days passed slowly, and the ground was becoming colder by the second.

The seer's followers were busy preparing themselves for the war, and though the man had asked Jungkook to join them in training countless times, the demigod refused.

Instead, Jungkook was busy slamming his fists against a frozen treetrunk in the middle of the forest, fighting some imaginary evil he could blame for every single fault in his life.

An uppercut, a jab, a hook. He kicked the tree and made it tremble, until he had enough of how the thing kept staying upright and blasted a hole right through it with his eyes.

"FUCK YOU!" He yelled, panting deeply. "FUCK YOUR TREES... YOUR SUN... YOUR ANIMALS... FUCK IT ALL! YOU THINK I CARE? YOU THINK I GIVE FUCK ABOUT THESE PEOPLE? YOU THINK-"

Jungkook froze when a snowball hit the back of his neck, the ice-cold snowflakes trickling down his back and sizzling against his skin.

He blinked and turned around, taking a sharp breath at the sight of the one person the young demigod had never expected to see again in his lifetime.

"Hey you brat, I thought I told you to mind your language?"

Jungkook stood petrified in the snow, staring at his older brother with wide eyes and trembling pupils.

The man crossed his arms and fondly shook his head, smiling as the sun suddenly began to rise and shine through the trees, its warm orange hue illuminating him completely. "That's it?" He said, his hair blowing in the wind as the sunbeams turned it golden. "You see me again and all you do is stare?"

Jungkook broke out of his shocked state and ran up to Jin to cage him in his arms and squeeze him tightly. "How? How is this possible!?" He cried, sobbing against his brother's shoulder as he smelled the scent of home on his tunic. "I thought you- Jimin told me you-"

"Jungkook," Jin said, rubbing the demigod'a back. "Would you be heartbroken if I told you this was a dream?"

Jungkook looked up at his brother with puffy eyes. "For some reason, I think my heart is far beyond broken Jin..."

The demigod pressed his head against his brother's chest again, feeling more tears trickle down his face at the sound of his brother's calm heartbeat.

"I hear you're in love."

Jungkook bit the inside of his lip. "W-who snitched?"

The older man chuckled, and Jungkook cuddled up closer to his guardian.

"In love with a prince..." Jin muzed.

Jungkook pouted. "Are you disappointed in me?"

"For loving a prince?"

"For loving a bad person."

Jin stayed quiet for a while, and Jungkook wished he could stay in the man's arms like this forever.

"You think he is bad?" Jin asked eventually.

"He... he has killed many people, and he's planning on killing more. He wants power... he wants to rule. He's convinced it's his destiny."

"But... if I'm not mistaken, I just heard you say you don't care about the people. So how can he be bad if that's the case?"

Jungkook looked down at the ground. "Don't- say that Jin..." he said, slowly letting go of the man. "The people killed you, tortured me and my friends, bullied me for years..."

"I know," Jin said. "I wasn't being sarcastic Jungkook."

"But you always said that I need to do what's right. To have good morals and stay on the righteous path."

"That is true... but I am just trying to help you focus your mind Jungkook, because it sounds to me like you don't even understand yourself anymore."

Jungkook lowered his head, petulantly digging the tip of his foot into the snow. "Jin?"

"Hm?"

"Am I... truly destined to save the world?"

Jin looked off at the firey red horizon. "Maybe... Maybe not. But the Jungkook I know never cared much for the set in stone future."

Jungkook huffed, feeling like that version of him had been buried a long time ago.

"But it's time for you to stop feeling haunted by me, Jungkook. I know I said things to you when I was alive... things that have been burdening you. But it's time to go your own way and follow your heart. All I ever wanted was for you to find your happiness, and now that you've found it, I would never ask you to turn your back. You deserve a good life, baby brother. You deserve more than this cruel world could ever give you... and I am sorry it has been so unkind."

The demigod felt his brother's hand grab his chin and lift his head, and he gasped when he saw the wooden bow and arrow his brother had given him for his nineteenth nameday.

"Jin..." he breathed in awe, grabbing the weapon from his brother with the upmost care.

"Your father placed it on my doorstep. I simply knew he wanted me to give it to you on your nameday..."

Jungkook studied the weapon's slender design and smiled at the inscription on it's side.

In sacrifice of the sun

"Jin what does this-" when Jungkook looked up, it felt like a punch in the gut to see his brother gone, and his surroundings empty. The sun was lowering from the sky again, and Jungkook snapped his head around until the darkness enclosed him, needing another moment to realise it had all truly been a dream.

The demigod jolted upright on his bed, finding himself back in his tent in the eternally dark world.

He looked down on his lap after feeling something weigh heavy on his legs, only to find his bow and arrow, lying there like a dream come true.

The demigod grabbed the weapon again, clutching it his hand as he caressed the inscripture on it's side with his thumb. "In sacrifice of the sun?" He whispered. "What in the world..."