The Last Guardian || KTH

18

Waking up had never been harder.

The entire night her dreams spiraled into a revel orchestrated by Ji-wook. Hour and hour, she squirmed unable to sleep, trying to rid the daunting image of Hyejin having pointed her sword at Zeila and Taehyung appearing in front of, falling into his pool of blood, asking why she hadn't saved him.

She woke up with her heart beating erratically and her head pounding. Zeila took her own time to jump from the bed and take her clothes to shower.

When she walked out after a bath, Taehyung was fixing the table, using magic and sand to glue the table leg.

"Good morning!" He greeted, rather enthusiastically than usual. "Fixed the table."

"I can see," Zeila said, stretching her arms. "Thank you." She really needed a coffee since breakfast was out of the question now.

"Where do you wanna go for your birthday?" Taehyung asked out of the blue, making Zeila raise her brow

"Nowhere," she replied with a frown.  "I'd much rather stay at home."

"But we have to go out three days from now with Hyejin alright?" He reminded her. He would get her strawberries, he planned. And learn what interested her in this world. But the conversation he wished to have with her ended the minute she walked away.

Zeila ignored him, going into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. Taehyung told her how there wasn't much of a difference here and in his world, where she would soon live. She noticed he had made tea to drink and left the pot on the stove.

Zeila sighed.

She was thinking of a way to refuse their invitation. Having sparked back some memories that made her wallow in guilt, she wondered just how she would get her point across: the day before her birthday was the day Taehyung died, exactly a year before.

To speak to Taehyung about her Taehyung's death only made dread coil within her. Just the mere thought of it sunk her heart.

Taehyung had called her out the day before for the same reason, wanting to give a surprise she would never forget.

How could she forget it, if it haunted her?

There wouldn't be anyone mourning for Taehyung, except Jungkook. But she wasn't sure he'd be here with the trouble Ji-wook stirred. Zeila closed her eyes, heaving a sigh.

Taehyung walked beside her, taking the teapot from the stove and pouring him his second or third (because he was an early bird and it was almost lunch by now)  cup. "The humans here make delicious tea."

She looked at Taehyung, an ironic chuckle bubbling inside her. He used to like tea too.

Taehyung couldn't understand why she looked so besetted, looking back at him with bleak eyes. She even refused the tea he made, scurrying out as though to avoid him. Still sipping on his tea, Taehyung went to the living room, wondering who rang the door-bell, now. If it was Jungkook, they had a lot to talk about.

He could see the physique of a male with lustrous black hair that glowed under the sunlight falling from the window. His face was covered by Zeila's hair bun, a consequence of cutting your hair in a clear slant and having to stuff many pins to keep it still.

"I would have expected my sister to call me," the man said. Taehyung's heart almost stopped at the voice.

"And to think you made a mess out of your hair after three months of not having to see each other?" The man asked with shock, a laugh rubbling after.

Then the man stepped aside, looking at Taehyung with affection. "Has it been a year already?"

"Brother?" Taehyung dropped the tea-cup, startled after looking at the man. Zeila contorted her face wondering why Taehyung looked like had just seen a ghost.