Puzzle Of Destiny [Jikook ABO]

✨25✨

Cheonsu carefully checked Sol's vitals, sensing something deeply wrong, his face grew grim—Sol had been cursed with black magic. His condition was dire, if he didn't receive proper treatment right now, his human form will die, allowing the werewolf side to take permanent control over his body. Time was running out.

Cheonsu's heart raced as he realised the severity of the situation, without hesitating he vanished in a swirl of light, teleporting straight to the heavens. He knew exactly how to heal Sol, but it required a very rare and powerful flower that only grew in the secret garden of the heavens. He could reverse the effect of the black magic with a serum made with this flower. However it was against the divine laws to use such heavenly gifts on mortals. But Cheonsu didn't care— Sol wasn't just any mortal to him, he had practically raised the young prince, guiding him in his secret training and watching him grow into a man he had become. Sol was like a family to him, something he had never felt in his 1000 years of existence. He had nurtured the young prince like a brother or a son. Sol was special, and he would do anything in his might to save the humanity in him, he couldn't see him suffer because of some malicious force.

Defying the rules, he made his way through the celestial gates towards the garden. He knew he would have to face the consequences later, but for now saving Sol was all that mattered.

He plucked the required flower from the sacred garden and quickly returned to Sol's side, he prepared the serum and slowly poured the liquid in his mouth, moments later Sol's body began to shift, the dark magic was lifted as he returned back to his original human form. His eyes fluttered open, a tear rolled down Cheonsu's cheek, a rare display of emotion from an ancient angel. Overwhelmed with relief he pulled the prince into a hug. Sol was confused, but he knew something profound had happened.

Cheonsu sighed as he finished explaining everything, "I-I turned into a werewolf and attacked not only the ministers but my appa as well?" His voice broke, horror filled in his eyes, "you stole a flower from heaven to heal me? Hyung what if they find out?" Sol's voice trembled with worry, Cheonsu knew what was coming but he didn't want the young Prince to worry, "don't worry it's not that big of a deal, I will handle it" the angel reassured him, "but remember that flower was blessed by Mother Luna so you might notice some unusual changes, if anything feels strange, call me immediately. For now just take some rest" He comforted Sol and vanished into the shadows.

Though he was back to normal, fear still lingered around him, people avoided him , refusing to go close to him, whispers of unease spread through the palace. General public feared for their safety, and the tension grew within the royal court. After several legal debates, the ministers forced the King to act. Driven with fear and uncertainty they requested a death sentence for Sol, The king found himself trapped between his duty and love for his son. To save his son's life he took a heartbreaking decision to banish him from the royal palace, though the queen was against it, she could not defy King's decree.

Sol was moved to a distant outer palace, still within the Silla dynasty but far from the court's reach. The palace was heavily guarded, with strict orders —Sol was forbidden from leaving, and no one could enter without explicit permission from the King.

Sol was basically imprisoned in this big palace, all alone, away from any human's reach.

He blew the whistle and shortly after Cheonsu appeared in front of him, "do you have any idea who did this to me?" The prince questioned, Cheonsu shook his head "thank you for saving my life, you have done so much for me, how will I ever repay you?" Sol said, voice filled with emotions, Cheonsu sat down beside him "I did it because I wanted to, I don't want anything back" he said patting the younger's back. Sol turned to look at Cheonsu "what about the flower? Did they find out yet?" He asked worried, "not yet, I don't think they will notice, it's a huge garden" he reassured Sol with a soft smile.

Sol had gained new powers from the divine flower, and with Cheonsu's guidance, he spent months learning to control them. During this time, Jeon Seungbae was crowned the new King of Silla, and the kingdom erupted in celebration. Though Sol was happy for his brother, he couldn't attend the ceremony; his presence might have unsettled the public. Instead, he received a message about the event along with special food prepared for the occasion. As Sol read the message, Cheonsu sat beside him. "You're not going?" Cheonsu asked, his tone casual. Sol sighed, sensing his younger companion's reluctance, the older man added with a teasing smile, "If you want to go, I can take you there."

Sol shook his head. "No, hyung, it's alright. I don't want to go." He understood the people's fear of him and didn't want to tarnish the day. Quickly changing the subject, he said, "Hyung, yesterday I tried to channel my power into this sword, but it didn't work. Can you teach me again?" Excitement shone in his eyes as they spent the day practicing. By dusk, Sol managed to sustain his powers within the sword for a full minute. Cheonsu beamed with pride. "You're really hardworking, Sol. Controlling these powers isn't easy, but you've learned so much in just a few months. It's an honour to be your mentor." Then, reaching into his hanbok, Cheonsu pulled out a small paper scroll. "Here," he said, handing it to Sol, "This is one of my creations, If you ever have a question, just think about it and open the scroll—it'll give you the answer. You can learn about anything, except the future." Sol's eyes widened in amazement. "Really?" he asked, inspecting the scroll, Cheonsu chuckled "Try it if you don't believe me."

Sol spent the rest of the day eagerly asking the scroll question after question, marveling at the answers it provided. Watching the young prince's curiosity, Cheonsu smiled to himself 'Such a curious kid,' he thought fondly.

Later that night, Sol wrote a letter to his younger brother, congratulating him on becoming the new King of Silla, along with the letter he sent a bouquet of flowers he had grown himself.

When Seungbae received the letter and bouquet, he read the note carefully before burning it. With cold disdain, he threw the bouquet to the ground, crushing each delicate flower under his foot, "My dear hyung, thank you... Thank you for trusting me so much, for eating the sweets I gave you every single day, for being so naïve," he laughed bitterly, then his expression darkened with anger, "You always had more than me, appa cherished you, and the people adored you. I was always in your shadow, laughed at, mocked—'Seungbae will never win,' they said, but look at me now" He reached out to touch his crown, his fingers tracing the edges "I won...... I won...... I am the King, and you..." He chuckled darkly, "You're locked away in that small palace, alone, far from—"

His words stopped as footsteps approached. Quickly, he hid the crushed bouquet beneath a rug, just as the door opened. A guard announced the arrival of his mother, Seungbae rushed to embrace her as she entered the room "Mother... oh, mother, you truly are amazing," he said, his voice filled with admiration, "The best mother in the world." "I heard you received something from Sol. I was curious to know what it was," she said with a knowing smile, tilting her head.

Seungbae showed her the crushed bouquet. "Sorry, I burnt the letter," he said, a touch of defiance in his voice. The woman merely chuckled. "I still can't believe he survived," she said as she sat on the chair, her smile fading. "I was told he'd never return to normal and that the King would have no choice but to kill him." Seungbae's lips curled into a smirk. "I don't care if he's alive or not, Halmeoni's black magic worked wonders. I'm the King now, and this kingdom belongs to me."