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Chapter 11 - 11 • Is it the end?

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Part : 11

Tittle : Is it the end?

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Quote : I wish I could live again for you, only you... But will you again be the same to me?... Will you... Again do that...

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Just as the sharp edges of broken glass began to bite deeper into her feet, a swirl of navy blue glittery mist materialized in the hall. Taehyung stood there, his usual charming demeanor slightly subdued. "Apologies for the interruption, Jungkook," he said, his gaze flicking briefly to the scene before him, "but we need your assistance. There's… a situation."

A low growl rumbled in Jungkook's chest, his annoyance evident. He had been deriving a perverse pleasure from their forced dance, the subtle pain in her eyes a twisted form of entertainment. He snatched his discarded blazer from the couch and looked down at her bloodied feet, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.

"Keep dancing," he commanded, his voice laced with a dark amusement. "Until I return."

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, she nodded, a faint, fragile smile touching her lips. Jungkook frowned, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. Why was she smiling? After everything he had done? Something was off, his heart beat so fast... He shrugged off the perplexing thought and followed Taehyung as he turned and disappeared back into the swirling blue mist. The hall was silent once more, save for the soft shuffle of her feet against the broken glass and the quiet track of her falling tears.

Taehyung's swirling blue mist deposited Jungkook in a room that hummed with an otherworldly energy. Shelves overflowed with an eclectic collection of vials filled with luminescent potions, strange, unidentifiable elements, smooth, polished stones, vibrant, otherworldly plants, and shimmering crystals that pulsed with faint light.

Namjoon stood amidst this arcane chaos, his silver-rimmed spectacles perched on his nose as he meticulously stirred a beaker containing a swirling, glittery compound.

Jungkook cleared his throat, the sound echoing slightly in the mystical space, drawing Namjoon's attention. The elder demon turned, his gaze steady and strangely somber. "The waiting is over, Jungkook," he stated, his voice carrying an unusual weight.

He paused, his eyes holding a depth of knowledge that Jungkook couldn't quite decipher. "The connection… the bond… it has reached its end." As a guardian, privy to the intricate tapestry of fate, Namjoon's words carried a significance that went far beyond their literal meaning, hinting at a deeper, inevitable conclusion.

Jungkook, oblivious to the subtle warning, merely scoffed. "Always with the cryptic pronouncements, Namjoon. What profound wisdom are you spouting now?"

Namjoon's expression remained grave. "Two lives, one moment, and endless regret," he murmured, his gaze distant, as if seeing a future Jungkook could not.

Jungkook rolled his eyes, impatience flickering in his crimson depths. "Right, right. Well, my doll must be waiting. I'm heading back to the castle." With a dismissive wave, he turned to follow Taehyung back into the swirling blue.

The familiar darkness of his castle hall was now tainted with a horrifying crimson. A trail of blood led away from the spot where he had so cruelly commanded her to dance, each drop a stark reminder of his brutality. A strange urgency gripped Jungkook as he followed the gruesome path, an unsettling tremor in his chest that intensified with each step. He wanted to see her, to witness her continued misery, yet a frantic, unfamiliar pulse hammered against his ribs, almost vibrating through his bones.

He pushed aside the unsettling sensation and called out her name, his voice echoing in the oppressive silence. Only the grim tableau of bloodied footprints answered him. And then he saw her – a small, broken figure lying motionless near the couch.

Taehyung, who had followed him back, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, his gaze filled with a quiet sorrow as he gestured towards the scattered pills on the floor beside her. A wave of something akin to panic surged through Jungkook. Without conscious thought, he rushed to her side, his arms scooping her up in a swift, protective motion, cradling her limp body against his chest in a bridal carry. The cold reality of her stillness sent a chilling dread through him, a feeling far more potent than the fleeting unease he had experienced moments before.

A raw, visceral panic seized Jungkook. His crimson eyes darted around the room, fixated on the scattered pills, the horrifying realization crashing down on him – she had tried to end her life. The thought sent a jolt of icy terror through his veins.

Then, a wave of her thoughts washed over him, clear and poignant despite her unconscious state. Vivid memories flickered through his mind, images seen through her eyes: his hand gently enclosing hers as he led her down the corridor, the unexpected tenderness of him lifting her into his arms when she struggled to keep pace, the intensity of his gaze that she had so desperately misinterpreted as affection. Even now, after everything, her thoughts were filled with heartbreaking love for him.

A sharp, agonizing pain pierced his chest, far more profound than any physical wound. He had mistaken her fear for obedience, her silence for acceptance. He had believed his dominance had broken her spirit, but he was devastatingly wrong. Beneath the terror, a deep, unwavering love had persisted, a love he had brutally crushed.

The crushing weight of his realization settled upon him, a suffocating burden of guilt and regret. He had been so blind, so consumed by his own desires, that he had failed to see the pure, unconditional love she had offered him, even in the face of his monstrous behavior.

The tremor that ran through her felt fragile, like the last flutter of a trapped bird. He gripped her shoulders, his touch a desperate plea as he gently patted her cheek, whispering her name like a fragile prayer. But then he saw it – an ethereal shimmer, a dusting of white glitter that seemed to rise from within her, escaping into the air. It was her essence, her very being, unfurling like smoke, and he knew with a sickening certainty that her soul was taking its leave, leaning away from the earthly vessel that had held it.

Panic clawed at his throat. He lunged, hand outstretched towards the dissipating mist, a desperate attempt to grasp the intangible, to hold onto the fleeting whisper of her spirit. But his fingers closed on nothing but empty air. The hand that had clutched his shirt moments ago, a small anchor in his chaotic world, now slipped from his grasp, falling back against the worn fabric, utterly still and lifeless.

Time dissolved into a blur of agony. He cradled her weightless form, his hands trembling, his mind refusing to accept the stark reality that stared back at him. For the first time since the dawn of his existence, a raw, searing pain welled within him, and his eyes, usually sharp and unwavering, blurred with a moisture he had never known.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder. Taehyung's voice, thick with sorrow, murmured his name, but he remained deaf to their pleas. Others approached, their faces etched with grief, their intentions clear – to take her from him. But animalistic protectiveness surged through him. He clutched her tighter, a fierce refusal in his posture. They had never witnessed such raw vulnerability, such utter devastation in his eyes. He, the unflinching one, was broken, shattered beyond recognition.

A hollow ache resonated deep within his chest, a gnawing emptiness that echoed the void she had left behind. It was in that agonizing moment, amidst the crushing weight of her absence, that the truth finally crashed upon him with brutal force. He hadn't just cared for her; he had loved her. A fierce, possessive love that now had nowhere to anchor itself. A desperate yearning consumed him –

just one more touch, one more moment of her warmth. He craved the simple comfort of her hug, a soft, gentle embrace that might somehow soothe the jagged edges of his regret. But she was gone, irrevocably gone. Her arms would never encircle him again. Her love, once a silent promise, was now a haunting memory, lost to the vast, unforgiving expanse of forever...

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[Note - Is it the end? Yes? no? Maybe so?...]

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