Dragon's Love (Jungkook ff)

♡ Chapter 56 ♡

Y/n was miserable. There were only two days left until the wedding, but Jackson was nowhere to be found.

It felt like the world was caving in around her, and every second ticking by was a nail in the coffin of her freedom.

The plan had been clear-free the dragons, destroy Tieran, and reclaim the skies before she was forced into a wedding she didn't choose. And never will.

But now, with Jackson gone and no word from the resistance, the plan was crumbling like ash in the wind.

Her heart thudded with panic, but deeper than that was an aching numbness, like her soul was slowly freezing over.

She didn't know what to do anymore. Every path forward felt blocked by shadows, and her mind was a storm of hopeless thoughts.

She'd rather die than marry a man like Tieran, whose hands were stained with blood and whose words were made of poison. But she couldn't even die peacefully-not yet. The dragons were still trapped, and she didn't know what would happen to them if she failed.

She had never felt this useless in her life.

Once; after she found the sword, she had been the girl with fire in her veins and rebellion in her eyes. Now she felt like a ghost walking the halls of her own fate.

She wandered the mansion aimlessly, each hallway colder than the last.

The grand tapestries on the walls, the golden chandeliers, the floors so polished she could see her reflection-none of it comforted her. It all felt like a gilded cage.

She searched desperately for anything-any scroll, any symbol, any whisper of Cerberus, the final key to breaking Tieran's power.

But the secrets were buried too deep. She checked every secret room shown on the raven's map, even crawling through dust-choked tunnels and pushing open creaking, ancient doors-but nothing. Just silence and shadows.

She crossed paths with Chester more times than she could count-once in the east corridor, once on the stairs near the library, and once even during a silent, tense dinner beneath Tieran's watchful eye. But each time, she kept her lips sealed. She couldn't risk it. Tieran was always there, looming like a curse, his eyes sharp enough to slice through skin.

Chester's gaze met hers across the table that night-just for a moment. There was a flicker of something. Regret? Fear? Helplessness? She couldn't tell. But it was enough to make her heart squeeze in her chest.

She was drowning in a palace of mirrors and masks, and time was running out.

That night, Y/n couldn't sleep. No matter how hard she tried, her body refused to rest. She lay on the bed, tossing and turning, her thoughts running wild. The room felt too quiet, too heavy. It was almost 3 in the morning, and her heart wouldn't stop racing.

Something didn't feel right.

A strange chill ran down her spine. She pulled the blanket tighter around her but still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was near. And then she felt it-like a shift in the air.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Jackson was standing right next to her bed.

Her breath caught in her throat. He looked like he had just come back from a nightmare. His chest rose and fell quickly, like he had been running. His clothes were torn, his hair messy, and his face... his face was different. Tired. Pale. Bruised.

Their eyes met.

Without thinking, Y/n jumped up and threw her arms around him. She didn't care how he looked-he was here. He was alive. She held onto him like she'd fall apart if she let go.

"Owwww," Jackson groaned, laughing softly through the pain.

Y/n pulled back, startled. "Oh my God, I'm sorry!" she said, her eyes darting over him.

There were cuts on his face. Scratches on his arms. Deep scars that hadn't been there before. Some still looked fresh. Others were already healing. It was like he had fought a war.

Her heart dropped. "What happened to you?" she whispered, her voice shaking.

He looked at her with a small smile, trying to stay strong for her. "It'll heal," he said gently. Then he tapped the edge of the bed, signaling her to sit beside him.

She sat, her hands shaking in her lap.

"Jackson Tieran and my wedding is tomorrow," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Everything is falling apart. We have to stop this. But Cerberus is gone."

Jackson nodded slowly. "Tieran moved it out of the mansion. It's in a cave now... about half a mile away."

Y/n felt like the ground had vanished beneath her feet. Her legs went numb, and she sat fully on the bed without realizing it.

A cave? Outside the mansion? How was she supposed to get there?

And then-a tap. Soft, quick, deliberate. Not at the door. The window.

Y/n froze. But Jackson didn't flinch.

Another tap. She rose slowly, her bare feet silent on the cold marble floor. Her hand hovered over the velvet curtain before she yanked it aside.

Nothing.

Her heart sank-until she looked down. A small raven sat on the ledge, eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. It tilted its head at her, and something small dropped from its beak onto the sill.

She opened the window, and the bird flew off without a sound.

She picked up the tiny object. A rolled piece of parchment, sealed with wax-but not Tieran's. This seal was different. It was marked with three stars and a broken chain with a raven.

Chester's mark.

Tieran is out of the mansion.

It said.

"We have to move quickly, Y/N. I'll help you get near the cave."

Y/N didn't waste time. Her heart was pounding, but she moved fast. She grabbed the sword leaning against the wall and threw Taehyung's cloak over her shoulders. Which comforted her in a strange way.

Footsteps echoed behind her. She turned around just in time to see Jackson running toward her. Without saying a word, he wrapped an arm around her waist and leapt out of the window.

The wind hit her face as they fell. Y/N gasped, expecting to crash, but instead, they passed through a shimmer of blue light. It felt like cold water rushing over her skin.

They landed softly on grass. She blinked, confused.

They were no longer near the mansion. The air was cooler, and the trees were taller, thicker. A cave stood nearby, its mouth dark and wide.

Y/N turned to Jackson. "What just happened?"

He smiled slightly. "That was a portal. This is the cave,you have to go in alone, Y/N. This is your battle, and I have faith in you."

With that, Jackson disappeared into thin air.