Bound by Fate

Chapter 57:Reckoning of Souls

The moment Jin struck down the Dark King, the battlefield grew eerily silent, only the soft rustling of Jaemin's small body against his chest grounding him. Jin's energy surged through his veins, but it wasn't enough to stop the waves of emotion coursing through him. His mind was racing, feeling the weight of the victory, yet knowing that the battle wasn't over-not in his heart. Holding Jaemin, he turned slowly, his eyes heavy with fatigue and sorrow, and met Namjoon's gaze.

Without a word, Jin handed Jaemin to Taehyung, his voice quiet yet firm. "Take him, Taehyung," he whispered, not looking back as he walked away. Taehyung, though shaken, nodded and cradled the child in his arms as if Jaemin was his own lifeline in this chaos. The others, now free from the Dark King's shields, gathered around, their eyes focused on Jaemin's well-being. Relief washed over them, but the victory was bittersweet.

Namjoon took a hesitant step toward Jin, his heart aching to reach out, to comfort him, but when his hand brushed Jin's, Jin jerked away. His rejection stung more than any battle wound. Namjoon stood there, watching as Jin made his way toward the lifeless body of Jungkook, lying cold and unmoving. The realization of Jungkook's death hit him like a tidal wave, and grief choked the breath from Namjoon's lungs. Tears welled in his eyes, but Jin was already kneeling at Jungkook's side, his face pale, and his soul trembling.

Jin knelt before Jungkook, hands shaking as he touched his little one's cold skin. "I can't see him die..." Jin whispered, his voice hollow. "The one I created." As those words escaped his lips, his eyes glowed with an unfamiliar light, and the air around him shifted. Elysira, Jin's soul, had fully taken control, her power radiating from Jin's fragile form.

The others froze in shock. They had known Jungkook's creation had involved a powerful ritual, but they never knew the extent of Jin's role. "What... what do you mean, you created him?" Yoongi asked, voice trembling, unable to comprehend the weight of Jin's revelation.

Namjoon's mother gasped, realizing the truth. They had all assumed Jungkook was only half-created by Namjoon's mother, a task too powerful for one soul alone. But now, it was clear. Jin's power had been the missing piece all along.

Jin summoned all the energy he had left. His hands pressed firmly over Jungkook's heart, the shimmering glow of his soul pouring out through his fingertips. He began to weave the threads of life back into Jungkook's form, trying to pull his jungkook's soul from the Dark King's grasp. With every second, Jin's energy drained faster, his face growing paler. Sweat dripped from his brow as his tears fell onto Jungkook's chest.

"I can't leave you like this, Jungkook," Jin sobbed. "I fueled you with my power... I created you... I gave you life, and I can't let you go!"

Namjoon, now standing beside Jin, saw the toll it was taking on his husband. His hands reached out to stop him, fear gripping his heart. "Jin, stop! You're killing yourself! Jungkook's already gone-don't do this to yourself!"

But Jin, or rather Elysira, was relentless. "Namjoon! I am Elysira, and I want my child back!" Her voice was fierce, her power shaking the ground beneath them. "Jungkook carries my essence, my power flows in him... I cannot let him die like this!"

Namjoon's tears fell freely now as he tried to reason with the powerful soul that had taken over Jin's body. "You're killing Jin too, Elysira! Please, stop! Jungkook... he's gone. You have to let go..."

But Elysira's will was unyielding. She pushed Namjoon away with a powerful force, her eyes glowing brighter as she poured the last of her energy into Jungkook. "I can't," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I can't leave him like this..."

As Jin's energy drained to almost nothing, his body trembling violently, he pushed with one final burst of power. Sweat and tears soaked his body as his hands pressed harder into Jungkook's chest. Finally, there was a pulse-a faint gasp from Jungkook's body, and then a surge of energy as his soul, once trapped by the Dark King, flowed back into him.