Some Frozen Devotion

Chapter One [H]

The Emperor's prisoner was destined to die. As the second sun was dragged into shadow, spilling blood over the bruised sky, the prisoner dreamed of oblivion. His skin was a portrait of his painter's cruelty, blue and purple beaten into his flesh. Curled on the stone, every muscle begged for him to give up, and yet he still burned, the last candle smoking in the darkness. Though he longed to let go, he could not, for defiance was all he had left. Without it, he would truly be lost.

Standing on the other side of the bars, a flickering shape shifted and shivered, feeling the smouldering embers of the prisoner's heart fading. Unblinking eyes stared into the cell with an inhuman intensity, unseen by the young man. Then, as if a split second decision was made, the shape shimmered and solidified, revealing a hooded man. Shielded by the half-light, only the shape of his lower face and beautiful thick lips could be seen.

"Jeon Jungkook."

Hearing his name, the prisoner startled and blinked open his eyes, flames leaping to life in his dark red irises. One of his eyelids was swollen almost shut, and the bloody gashes on his cheeks were red and raw, but something dangerous burned in those eyes. Something that refused to break.

"Who are you?" Jungkook rasped, his throat dry. Shadow crossed his face, and the stranger watched as he dragged himself to his feet, legs trembling.

The stranger leaned forward, a small smirk tugging at his mouth. "You already know me." The look of confusion on the prisoner's face made the hooded man chuckle. "I'm not here to beat information out of you. I'm here to help you escape."

His words were like fuel to the fire in Jungkook's eyes, and the young man straightened, wincing. "How?" he gestured to the bars. "They don't melt."

The stranger smiled. "Even the strongest stone and the coldest ice can be melted." His hands closed around the stone bars of the cell. Jungkook stared, rapt, as the bars - that had been constructed for the very purpose of being impossible for him to burn through - softened to a molten waterfall. The lava puddle widened and crept towards his bare feet, dirty from days without washing. He simply watched, a smile turning up his lips and revealing gently bucked teeth, as the molten stone crawled over his toes and swallowed his feet.

His smile quickly disappeared as reality took over. "What the fuck?" The grubby prisoner pushed through the lava to stare at the hooded man. "What are you? How did you do that?"

"Stop talking."

His eyes flaring, Jungkook's skin glowed. "Are you with ASHES?" he asked, his tone clipped.

"No." The stranger was distracted, as if listening for something. "ASHES can't help you now. You're on your own, and you need to go."

The prisoner's skin still hummed with heat, but there was fear in his eyes now. A glint of desperation. The knowledge of what would happen if he was caught.

"Go now." The hooded figure watched him closely. Would he manage to escape? Or would he be mercilessly slaughtered by guards? It hardly mattered at this point. If he stayed in that cell, he would die at sunrise. Emperor's orders.

Jungkook made to leave, but paused for a moment. He turned, his bright red eyes fixed on the stranger. "Why?" he asked simply.

"The Emperor is no friend of mine," the stranger hissed, as if flames licked at his tongue.

The prisoner nodded his head in thanks and turned wordlessly, slipping away down the stone corridor. He stole through the half-light at a staggering pace, every breath more laboured than the last. Smears of blood formed a trail as his torn, blistered feet fumbled along the uneven ground.