Jimin finds himself in an asylum before he's found by six men. Familiar and 'wondrous.' He remembers them. He killed them. But these men claim to remember things differently, yearning to convince Jimin of his innocence, and their liveliness.
Stunned...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Jimin stumbled through the grasses beside Namjoon, who often caught hold of him when he began to lean aside. Namjoon still kept a cigarette hung from his lips, wisps of smoke rings encasing over Jimin's head.
"Are you sure this is right? I'd imagine Hoseok's domain would carry a far less decrepit scene." Jimin posed, glancing nervously at the contorted trees and fissured statues that lined the path they now sauntered on.
Namjoon took a drag from his cigarette, the ember flaring acutely in the dusk environment. "The White King cannot maintain all of Wonderland's scapes. Only his own. You may be astounded by the sight of his royal fortress."
Jimin shrugged, meandering further with a slight delay behind Namjoon to maintain his sense of direction.
As they continued, the landscape progressively altered. The red-stained fractured sculptures had begun to mend, formulating into fine ivory pawns, bishops, knights, rooks, and queens until the two largest marble statues shaped into two colossal white kings.
The air had been honed and pristine, a sharp contrast to the harrowing choke of the atmosphere they had just left.
The imposing palace of the White King, Hoseok, left Jimin gazing upwards, stunned. Just as Namjoon had said.
The decay from before had given way to a stark, opulent realm of black and white. It was a splendid structure, its walls glinting with intricate white and black designs. Chessboard patterns layered the ground with towering marble columns, adorned with gleaming jewels and white roses curling around them. The jewels cast an array of optical geometry reflecting across the courtyard.
Jimin couldn't help remain stupefied. "Oh my god," he uttered.
Namjoon nodded, exhaling a vapor aside to not hinder Jimin's marveling. "We cannot stand here and daze for long Jimin. I understand how the initial impression of his land might stagger someone, but there are doors willing to accept the invitation of visitors. Come."
Jimin hardly looked down as Namjoon grabbed him by his forearm to pull him to the immense entryway of the halls.
They stood, unspoken for some time before Jimin finally looked over to question Namjoon.
"Do we knock?" Jimin frowned.
"Knocking is unpleasant, as it presents the assumption that the guests share no personal relationship with the ruler of this kingdom." Namjoon kept a fixed looked at the door, hands folded behind as he spoke through the cigarette in his mouth.
"...It's simply being polite." Jimin winced, unexpectant of Namjoon's literary response.
Jimin wavered, startled by the grate of the doors as they heaved inwards. He blinked, leering over to Namjoon to determine whether or not he should pursue an entrance.
