THE ETERNAL DARKNESS | VKOOK

𝟐𝟕) 𝑾𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆

The storm outside Viltoria roared through the night, its violent gusts shaking the walls of the castle. Raindrops beat against the windows, casting shadows that flickered across the room. In the dim light of the chamber, Jungkook sat alone, staring blankly ahead. He had barely touched the food laid out for him earlier, his stomach churning with unease. His thoughts had become an unending loop of despair, and no amount of warmth from the fire in the room could ease the coldness seeping into his bones.

Taehyung had ordered him to attend the meeting that morning, forcing him to sit at his side like a lifeless doll. Jungkook hadn't protested, hadn't spoken a word-he had simply obeyed. But now, as the storm outside matched the storm within him, he couldn't hold it in any longer.

Grabbing the diary and pen from the drawer, he headed toward the garden. Despite the rain, he needed the open air. The garden of Viltoria was eerie at night-the gnarled trees casting strange, twisted shadows in the dim light, yet there was an odd sense of peace amidst the chaos. The bench he sat on was cold and damp, but it didn't matter. He opened the diary, and with trembling hands, he began to write.

"I think the rain understands me.
It hides my tears, drowns out my thoughts, and numbs the pain.
I never thought I could feel so empty.
Eomma, you told me once I was strong.
You lied.
Whatever strength I had has been taken from me, piece by piece, until there's nothing left.
I'm just a shell. A hollow shell.

The weight of it all is unbearable.
I can't breathe, I can't think, and I don't even want to try anymore.
I don't know if I have the strength to keep going, but I don't know how to stop either.
Even if I wanted to escape, where would I go?
It's not just this place that cages me-it's my mind, my memories, my fate.
I'm lost, eomma.
And I don't think I'll ever find my way back."

He closed the diary with shaky hands, staring out at the storm that continued to rage on, matching the whirlwind of emotions inside him. Yet again, Jungkook felt the weight of his silence, of the things he could never say. He slowly rose from the bench, heading back to the castle. The diary clutched tightly to his chest-his only confidant in a world that had long stopped listening.

Jungkook was walking back to his room, unaware of the piercing gaze following him from the window. Taehyung's dark eyes tracked his every movement, and his faithful eagle, Kael, perched silently beside him.

"Don't you think, Kael, our queen is investing too much time in that diary?" Taehyung's voice was cold, yet the question seemed more rhetorical, his fingers absentmindedly stroking Kael's feathers as he watched Jungkook disappear into his room.

Taehyung was still gazing at the path Jungkook had taken, his hand continuously stroking Kael's feathers. The eagle purred softly under its master's touch, an eerie calm settling around them.

Meanwhile, in his room, Jungkook had fallen into a deep, restless sleep. He hadn't eaten, his stomach empty, yet hunger was the last thing on his mind. The maid who collected his untouched meal shook her head in quiet dismay, leaving the room as silently as she had entered.

But Jungkook was not alone for long. The door creaked open, and a shadowy figure stepped in, eyes gleaming with predatory hunger as they gazed upon Jungkook's sleeping form. His peaceful face, his delicate neck, exposed slightly above the blanket, made him look fragile, almost too perfect.

The figure licked their lips slowly, their gaze dark and full of intent as they approached the bed. Leaning in close, they whispered, their voice dripping with dangerous desire, "How much I want to drink your blood..."

The tension in the air was suffocating, the dark intent unmistakable.

And with that, the figure latched onto Jungkook's neck without a second thought.