A Royal Mess || Taejin

Chapter 8

Seokjin felt his body petrify slowly as his eyes stared blankly at the columns of fire that circled Taehyung and him. He was so frozen with shock that it took him a while to register Taehyung yelling at him. He blinked a couple of times to stabilise his mind and realised in horror that the circle was spreading, outwards.

Seokjin gripped onto Taehyung's arm as the fire roared at his sensitive ears. He could hear the cries of the people who stampeded through the fair, trying to find the easiest way to escape. He could hear children wail in fear, some being separated from their guardians while others clung to their parents for dear life. He could hear the stalls falling apart and the painful moans of the owners who had to incur such a loss.

His mind automatically thought of his sisters, Jungkook and Hoseok. There's a chance that his siblings could get back to safety with their water powers but Jungkook and Hoseok? Their air bending powers were not so strong due to lack of practice. Moreover, one wrong move could add more fuel to the flames.

Then he thought of Taehyung's brothers who were completely defenseless and their faith completely depended on the snowfall.

Seokjin was so emerged in worrying that it took him a while to realise that the fire was not inching towards Taehyung and him. There was a ring around them as if it was a protection circle fending off the merciless fire from them. Seokjin furrowed his eyebrows and walked closer to the edge and it moved away from the prince of Gyeongsong. With heightened curiosity, Seokjin tried to touch the flames. When it came in contact with his fingertips, he felt cold instead of the searing pain. Experimentally, he trusted his arm into the fire and he left the same cool effect. A screaming Taehyung pulled Seokjin back and yelled words that Seokjin could not hear because his attention was solely on his naked, unharmed arm and the burnt material of his shirt that hung loose.

Taehyung detached the burning piece of cloth, leaving Seokjin's arm exposed. He gripped onto the prince's shoulders and jetted them while he exclaimed, "Have you lost your mind?! What were you doing, Seokjin?!"

"Let me go," Seokjin's voice was barely audible.

"We're getting out of here and you're not going anywhere near the fire," Taehyung said firmly before pulling him towards what seemed like an opening in the circle of flames. They could barely venture more than a few meters because the fire seemed to chase them and the smoke was blocking their view and suffocating them.

"Taehyung, let me go," Seokjin repeated.

"No! I'm not letting you wander! Heaven knows where and how my brothers are! I won't allow you to get away from me. . ." Taehyung's voice cracked a little at the end, his fear prominent in his tone. "My Prince. . . we would find a way out together."

Seokjin watched desperation dance in Taehyung's eyes. He did not want to rattle Taehyung up more than he did so he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He pulled his arm away from Taehyung which the latter had been gripping onto in the fear of losing him. Seokjin backed away slowly and kneeled down on the untouched ground. He placed his palms against it, ignoring the quizzical looks from Taehyung, and focused.

Seokjin had been told how elements were controlled; how the controller channeled his will into the element and made it abide by their orders. He had read enough books to know how he had to act but the problem was: he had never practiced it.

The prince of Gyeongsong breathed in and out, trying his best to calm himself without getting choked by the poisonous smoke.

He thought of summer noons in Gyeongsong when the temperature would rise so much that the royal carpets would be drenched with perspiration. He recalled how Hoseok would put off the fire in the fire.