4.6 | Dark Ages ✓

- 0 2 : 0 1

– 0 2 : 0 1

THIS TIME, HE knows when the wards come down.

He's sitting on the front porch with the gun on his lap, so he feels the exact moment it happens. It starts with a strange frisson in the air. A sudden chill as the wind picks up. The rustle of leaves from the nearby tree and the faintest metallic twang of blood.

He's almost positive now that there's some sort of security system built into this house. Whatever it is that protects the house (and, by extension, its residents) has some sort of countdown. Five days, he suspects, given his past experiences. And it will reset after hitting zero. Briefly, he entertains the thought of extending the lifespan of a ward cycle, but decides that's way out of his depth. In a time of death and decay, beggars can't be choosers.

At least there's still a ward, he thinks, trying to be optimistic.

He snaps the safety catch off his gun and climbs to his feet. A quick glance down the empty street tells him they still have minutes to go, so he heads back into the house. Inside, Yoongi hunches over a map as he charts an escape route to the next town, where he'll regroup with several elite soldiers. Unlike Jungkook, he doesn't extend an offer to leave together.

Not that Taehyung minds. He quite likes it here—this dingy old house, with its threadbare rug and sparse furniture. It's almost become a home for him.

Just then, Yoongi looks up. The look in his eyes reminds Taehyung of the first day he'd met the man. Cold, hard and expressionless—it's the look of a soldier who's already geared himself for a battle. "Is it time?"

"I don't know," Taehyung replies honestly. "Now would be a good time to leave before they come, I suppose."

Yoongi nods and gets up. Hoisting both bag and gun over his shoulders, he jams the map into his pocket and stuffs his feet into his boots. Taehyung follows him out past the gate, but just as he thinks the man will leave without a goodbye, Yoongi stops and turns back around.

"You will find her." There's a hint of desperation in his voice, even though the expression on his face remains impassive. "You will find her, won't you?"

Taehyung nods. "I'll try. And you?"

"I'll keep looking, wherever I go. But right now, I have a war to win." Yoongi turns to leave, then hesitates. "I can see now why she liked you. Completing missions for my job has always been my priority. But seems to me that whether you remember her or not, she's always the most important thing to you, isn't she?"

Unable to come up with a reply, he simply nods again. He doesn't know anything of his past, of course. But at present, he thinks that she's the key to everything.

He falls a step back as the other man turns to go. "Let me know if you need any help."

Yoongi makes a vague sound of acknowledgement and heads down the street. Thankfully, it's still empty, but Taehyung keeps his grip tight on the gun just in case. As Yoongi nears the bend in the road, a sudden thought hits him.

"Hey, hold on!"

Yoongi turns around.

"What's her name?" He bites back frustration at the other man's disbelieving look, and lets out a quiet sigh. "I don't—I don't remember."

Realization dawns on Yoongi's face. He opens his mouth to respond, but hesitates at the last second. "You have the watch, the house, the dreams," he says instead, his voice pitched just loud enough to carry. His posture remains stiff; his fists clenched by his sides. "You have her. All I have is her name. Let me have that, at least."

Without waiting for a reply, Yoongi leaves. Taehyung watches until the man heads down the road, disappears past the corner and vanishes out of sight. It's just in time too, because he catches the faint tick, tick, tick bleed into the silence.

This time, he keeps his eyes wide open as time sweeps him away.