Trouvaille - 𝐁𝐓𝐒

021

Aren't you and I...the same?

The rattling noise of the carriage had Jungkook stirred awake from his sleep. He turned his left to find Inhee dozed off on the chair. He heard murmurs of Namjoon and Seokjin from the next hall.

He pulled up on his feet, striding to the window to witness Jimin and Yoongi exiting the carriage with their arms wrapped around an unconscious Hoseok.

"Inhee wake up." He nudged her shoulders. Together they rushed down the stairs.

Finding Hoseok held by Yoongi and Jimin.

"What happened to him?" Inhee ran close to them.

Yoongi sighed. "He used the dagger."

"Why would he do that? Didn't we settle on having him alive?" Jungkook questioned with a frantic look on his face.

"He didn't kill himself," Yoongi snapped. "He took the dead spirits to the dark world."

"Then how do we bring him back?" the youngest prince asked again.

"I don't know that. I don't know why he took that decision, but I'm certain he had something on his mind," Yoongi said.

"We must not lose hope. He will come back!" Inhee's determination didn't leave room for more questions.

They took Hoseok to the guest chamber. Yoongi insisted on being by his side until he came back.

"I can't express how happy I am to see you alive and well," Inhee confessed being engulfed in Jimin's embrace.

He pulled back to grace her with a genuine smile before saying, "Is that so, princess? I thought you must've forgotten about me by now."

"I assure you, Prince of Light, your smile isn't one anyone could forget."

"I'm flattered," he smiled again before sighing. "I didn't know the swordsmith would do that, but I promise you I will do whatever it takes to bring him back."

"Yes, we-"

Seokjin interrupted their conversation and pulled Inhee to a corner. "How do we know if he is coming back or not? We already talked about this, Inhee. Nobody can return from the dark world."

"I trust Hoseok. I know he won't leave me like this, at least not without saying goodbye. He must know something. What are we missing out brother? Do we need to find something? Wh-where do we look for the information?"

"Archives." Seokjin stilled for a moment. "We need to search for the old books in the library. There, we can find all about the dark world."

Inhee, Seokjin, and Namjoon went to the library and started their search. Jimin and Jungkook went to the royal physician, asking for a herb or antidote to bring Hoseok back to this world.

"Here!" Namjoon called out, holding a book in his hand. "The Gate to The Dark World."

"What does it say?" Seokjin asked, rushing beside him.

"There is no return from the Dark World of a body that is pure and mortal."

"Pure and mortal?"

"Only demons and dead are counted as impure and immortal."

The door to the library opened, revealing Jungkook and Jimin with a carrier in their hands. "These are herbs that will keep his body warm. The physician said-"

"His body!" Inhee exclaimed.

"What about his body?" Seokjin asked concerned then turned to Namjoon to find him sharing the same look on Inhee's face.

"Right!" Namjoon opened the book again. "It says 'There is no return from the Dark World of a body that is pure and mortal' but Hoseok's body is here!"

"Then what does it say about the return of a soul from the Dark World?" Jimin asked.

Namjoon started flipping the pages, looking for something that could help them bring the swordsmith back.

Jungkook stopped Namjoon when he flipped through a page about the bloodline of the Crimson Kingdom. "Only the heir can bring the dead, and only he can send it back," he read aloud. "While only one of you can call the spirits, the other one serves as the key to the unknown land."

"If Hoseok is the heir then Princess Inhee has to be the other one, the key to Dark World!" Namjoon reasoned.

"How can she open the gate to the Dark World?" Seokjin questioned, all of them turning to look at her.

"What about her powers? Namjoon asked. "What is your ability Princess Inhee?"

"I-I don't know that yet," Inhee mumbled, embarrassed.

"This could work," Jungkook stepped up with confidence. "Her powers must have something to do with this. We only need to show her how to call for them."

"That will take time," Seokjin said.

"However long it takes," Jimin said, gaining a nod from Inhee.

*

The sun had already marked the highest position in the blue sky, and the wind had surrendered to the calmness of the world for today. The birds were chirping and the stable's bell kept ringing, swinging with the gentle breezes.

The world cared not an inch for what Inhee was about to lose, it carried on with its beauty and responsibilities. Nothing would change, she thought. If she fails to bring her brother back, nobody will grieve for as long as she would.

People move on, they continue to live, they must. But, could she? How could such a responsibility lie on her shoulders when she barely accepted who she was? How could she utilize the blessing that came with her bloodline when she barely accepted her identity?

"We will take it slow," a soft voice called out. "There is nothing to be afraid of, Inhee."

She turned to find the face that never left her sight during her hard time. Their eyes met and where she used to find passion before, now was serenity and comfort.

"I apologize, Prince Jimin, for being so pathetic," she couldn't stop herself from breaking down after looking into his soft eyes. "I-I want to save him, but we all know I cannot! I'm not a royal. How can I be? I don't even know how to use my powers."

"They come to you when you call them," he strode closer to her, gently patting his hand through her hair, "you need to rely on them and call them when you need them."

"What if I can't?" she wiped her cheeks.

"Do not have a doubt in your heart, for your powers are a part of you. They will not betray you."

They will not betray me?