The Fallen

XV : PROPHECY

The night slowly gave way to the dawn, and Jimin hadn't slept. He couldn't, not with the way his worry gnawed at him alongside white-hot shame and irritation. He'd been so weak, and so foolish to be taken captive. He didn't know if Taehyung had recovered from his injuries; they'd been so severe, there was no way he would be at strength for weeks. He could only hope Jungkook didn't let him do something stupid - like come after him before he was healed. But that, Jimin knew, was also a futile hope. Taehyung wouldn't be held back by anyone, and Jungkook would probably do whatever he wanted, even if he grumbled about it.

He glanced at Seokjin again. He'd been stealing looks at the angel all night since Soojin had returned to the demon camp, and Jae had gone back to the forest to hide and sleep. It was strange to be in his presence. For the last two decades, Jimin had heard stories of him filled with love, others with anger and resentment. He knew so much about the angel, secret things too, that Seokjin would be less than pleased about him knowing.

He knew that, like Taehyung, Seokjin was one of the few angels who capable of Silent Flight. Coupled with their extraordinary control over their grace, they were dangerous and coveted. He knew Taehyung had grown up clashing with Seokjin because the elder possessed a very different personality to his own, and it had taken a long time understand him. But once they settled into their relationship, their bond was incredibly strong. Or it had been. He knew Taehyung had trusted him more than anyone in the world, and that Seokjin had broken that trust beyond repair.

"Do you blame him?" Jimin asked, breaking the silence between them.

Seokjin looked over at him, questioningly.

"Taehyung. For not coming for you. For rejecting the idea of helping you."

"No," Seokjin answered after a moment. "No, I do not. I know my brother. Our betrayal will never be forgiven."

Jimin scoffed. "Then why did you do it?"

Seokjin sighed. "You really know nothing about the intricacies of angel politics."

"What a convenient excuse," Jimin muttered.

"Even if I had wanted to help him escape, both myself and Namjoon would have been killed and felled as well, just because we were blood. No matter if there was proof we helped him or not. I had to chose between losing one brother, or two. What would you have done?"

Jimin glowered, but he couldn't answer.

"Taehyung wasn't the only one that felt betrayed," Seokjin continued. Jimin stared at him, growing heated. Seokjin held up him hands to stop Jimin from interrupting him. Seokjin's eyes were cool, and he continued when Jimin grimaced, jaw taut. "Taehyung's actions placed Namjoon and I in an extremely precarious position." He sighed, and Jimin clenched his fists. "Falling in love with a demon... He was always against war. He never wanted to fight, despite his skill at it. But consorting with a demon, and one so adept at killing our people at that... it was too much for either myself or Namjoon to understand at that time. Namjoon particularly."

"I don't care about your justifications for abandoning him. It doesn't change anything, because you know - you know Taehyung would never have made the same choice you did - and so does he."

Seokjin expression darkened. "He was always impulsive and rebellious, never wanting to do what he was told. I used to admire that, but we are not all in the position to do so. Do not presume to judge me for wanting to protect what I could. There is much you do not know about how life works in Illenium, and you are biased from your relationship with my brother."

Jimin rolled his shoulders back, shaking off the fear that came in the strength of Seokjin's voice and sharp danger of his expression. Dawn had fully broken and the day began aglow. Unease about being so exposed when the demons could return at any time lingered in the back of Jimin's mind, despite Soojin's assurances that they wouldn't. The 'prisoners' were under the care of her and Miyeon, and the two of them were allies. Jimin didn't give his trust so blindly, he had learned that the hard way. The only person he trusted was Taehyung, and now, Jungkook.