THE RAVEN KING, yoonkook

chapter viii: miracle's dark prices

Retches fill the quiet room as Jungkook sits hunched over a bowl, emptying the contents of his stomach into it. His body lurches with every one, a slight shake taking over it as a weakness fills him. The sour bile burns as it lifts up through his throat and mouth, before entering the mess that's collected in the bowl. There are streaks of blood, too, but these don't worry him; this is nothing new. His body fights to expel the toxins, keeping him alive, although it does come at a price.

When the vomiting ceases, Namjoon, a servant and a healer enter the room. They had been waiting outside, listening. Upon entering the room, the servant takes the filled bowl that now lays beside the bed and takes it from the room. The healer approaches the boy king, who is now curled up in his bed. There's a fragility in his posture, one that screams weakness, and Namjoon ensures no one else can see him in this state.

"How do you feel?" The healer asks as he does the preliminary tests, checking for any sort of external damage. The boy groans a six, telling the old man that this pain is no worse than usual. "And your heart?" Jungkook gives him another six. "I am going to relieve the pain now."

Standing beside the bed, the old man raises his arms so his hands hover above the boy's body. Namjoon watches as his eyes roll back into his head, the occasional quiet mumbling leaving his lips. The energy of the room changes, electrical currents seeming to buzz loudly around him (although, to Namjoon, he can only label these as magical). Around the boy king, light and darkness seem to battle; the owl can't tell which is winning.

There's a moment when Jungkook's body spasms, as the healer mumbles something under his breath, and the magic in his veins glow darkly against his skin. This seeps out, engulfed by the light that is being emitted by the healer. Then the raven relaxes, a calm sleeping state taking him, and the healers job is finished. The healer himself looks tired, physically drained by the task he's had to perform. The older male turns to the worried watcher.

"It's taking a toll ― both on me and him." The healer warns, receiving a nod of understanding from Namjoon. This isn't anything new: they've understood this from the beginning. "The darkness is growing stronger and I'm getting weaker with my age. I'm not sure how many more deaths we can take."

"I'll tell him to be more careful. We'll all be more careful."

The old man nods, before leaning in closer, glancing around to make sure there's no one listening or watching. He whispers conspiratorially, "This is a dangerous time for the little king. As he gets closer to eighteen and he gains his independence, he becomes more of a threat to others. Keep him safe and trust no one."

"I will." Namjoon promises and, with that, the healer seems satisfied with the response. As he leaves, Hoseok enters.

"How is he?" The kookaburra asks, concern etched across his face as he gazes down at the sleeping boy.

"Okay, for now, but we have to be more careful. The healer says it's getting worse."

*  *  *

Jungkook is dreaming. He knows this because his mother and father stand before him, looking much like they did the last time they saw him ― a memory. Somewhere in his mind, he knows they're dead, but still, he does nothing wake himself up. He doesn't want to.

"Kookie, come here." His mother's warm voice rings out, seeming to echo with a distant, dream-like quality. Jungkook, who had been reading a book in the corner, abandons the book to take his mother's side on the bed. His father sits beside her, both smiling fondly at the smaller boy. He didn't see it then but now, with older eyes, he can see a tiredness spreading across their faces and bodies ― the first signs of the illness subtly creeping up on them. "We have something for you."

"What is it?" Jungkook asks eagerly, because what child doesn't like the idea of presents? His father lifts a necklace from where it had been sitting in his lap, hidden within the folds of his robe. The small, dark red gem that hangs at the bottom shines darkly in the light, almost seeming to consume all brightness around it to feed its own.  The king places this over his son's head, allowing it to take its permanent place around his neck.

"A special necklace," His father explains, answering his child's question. The queen nods.

"One you must never take off." She warns, much to the confusion and curiosity of the younger. The boy, who had been admiring the pretty gem, pauses to look up at his parents, awaiting further explanation. "It'll keep you safe, from everything, but you have to be wearing it to work. Do you promise to never take it off?"

"I promise." Jungkook says, his attention dropping to the necklace he'd clearly underestimated. Soft fingers run over the smooth surface, admiring the way it glitters.

"Also, son," The king adds, "Try not to give it a reason to use its magic."

"Why? If I'm invincible with this, then shouldn't I be using it? I can help fight in the war; I can do dangerous things no one else can; I can–"

"Everything comes at a price, Jungkook." The older male warns, interrupting the boy. "Not just with this ― every good thing will cost something. Just this, especially."

Once again, Jungkook's gaze returns to the necklace. He looks at the gem still resting in his hands and decides to let it drop from his fingers. Suddenly he doesn't like this much anymore.

"What's the price?" He asks, figuring he ought to know as much as he can about this magical gem. Again, with old eyes, he can see the reluctance in his parents: they don't want to tell him, want to keep him in the dark. It's probably safer there.

"Well," His mother sighs softly. There's still a hesitation, a pause as the parents share a glance, "Your body... Each death will damage it; after all, it shouldn't be coming back from that sort of thing. With each death, your– you'll get weaker. Your heart, specifically."

The king places a strong, warm hand on his son's shoulder, "Don't worry, as long as you're careful, this won't be a problem. We're just trying to look out for you ― being a king is a dangerous job."

In the dream-memory, Jungkook then points out that he's not king yet and it's going to be a while before he is a king. He misses the knowing expression that his parents wear; there's a grimness behind their smiles but they say nothing about it. Instead, they tell him how much they love him and give him warm hugs and the raven knows his dreaming again. (In reality, they just reassured him ― lied to him).

Then Jungkook wakes up. There's no gradual change from sleep to consciousness; it's just a sudden awakening. This is followed by the realisation that it was all a dream and that his parents are still dead. It's been five years and it still hurts.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time the raven king has experienced this and Namjoon and Hoseok are prepared. They're both sitting on either side of him, waiting for him to wake from his recovery sleep. When he does and the tears start flowing, both start cuddling and comforting him. They shower him with as much love as they can and try to fill that hole in his heart as best they can. It takes a couple of minutes to get Jungkook back to a stage where he isn't sobbing about how he misses his parents and doesn't want to be king. Then he lays silently, almost worryingly still, in the older males' arms.