Healing Castle | TXT Fantasy Novel ft. BTS

36 - Soobin

"Jin, this is war." Soobin steps forward, ignoring his own command to remain in formation. He also has to put aside his love for the eldest member of BTS. "You not only put all of our fans in danger, but yours as well. You lured me and the members here for what? I can't believe you."

"It was all for my team." For a second, Jin appears genuine in the statement. He turns his head, allowing his eyes to appear glossed with tears.

But Soobin doesn't let up. He doesn't know exactly where the courage comes from, and how he's turned into someone brave from the sobbing mess he was when they first began this journey. Even though he'll always love Jin for the love he imparted toward TXT, he must believe in the role his members gave him. He's a leader, and right now he must fight for a safe tomorrow.

As leader, he needs to decide what the team must stand for. And supporting a manipulator, a liar of the Black Mage, is unacceptable. After the havoc of the months in Seoul and the training in the Castle, he has to form his own terms. Even Topaz can't have the final word. He'll state the rules himself. TOMORROW X TOGETHER will always fight for good. If evil is disguised in its place, they'll act as one to eliminate all the guises.

"You're a coward, Jin," Soobin says. "You betrayed us and everything you believed in."

"There's no point in arguing," Jin says. "What's done is done."

No it isn't. There's hope. Soobin may be angry and shaking, but he allows himself to hold onto the remnant in his mind that says there's an opportunity for BTS to redeem themselves.

BTS' Jin is still turned away from him and the boys. He is silent like stone, like a more powerful form of a gargoyle.

Soobin is angered at his ignorance. He rushes forward and almost grasps his shoulder. But all at once, Jin lifts a palm and a force field of deep blue surrounds his figure. Inches before Soobin can touch Jin, he's catapulted backwards straight into Huening Kai. The youngest member does his best to break the fall, but in the end they both hit the stage floor. Soobin's skull bounces against hard plexiglass. His vision spins, but he helps Kai to get up after forcing himself to recover.

"You may have helped us in the past," Soobin yells. "But we're enemies now. We won't hold back what we've learned without your help. We're fighters too, and stronger than you realize!"

Jin finally turns back around. Soobin swears he sees a single tear forming in the corner of his eye. Jin shakes his head, then his expression hardens. His fist clenches, while his spine straightens.

The whole arena is shaking. There are still stragglers darting toward the exits, but the congested walkways make for people getting trampled and blockades formed from squished bodies.

Soobin addresses his team, accepting that BTS' Jin is the true enemy. "Formation!" he yells again. He takes his emotions and stuffs them into the back of his mind. For this fight, he'll have to focus. The good memories he shares with BTS can't come back to haunt him.

He shoots arrows in an endless volley. At the same time, Taehyun follows with magic bolts and Beomgyu fires large bullets toward Jin. As Jin is hit with the Maple magic, his body begins to emit purple darkness—the same essence of the Mage. He truly has taken its power for his own. And this makes him a far more powerful boss than the weakened Mage.

Soobin doesn't let up. He keeps firing his arrows. He recalls the countless hours of practice, and his shooting arm remains steady. His aim is pure, and his steps are weighted to keep him from shifting to the left or right.

Still, Jin is unharmed from the barrage. So after Soobin's mana is spent, Yeonjun and Huening Kai head in from opposite sides. In the middle, Beomgyu joins the fray and launches a barrage with his bronze knuckles. The sight is phenomenal, Jin standing still while none of the boys' attacks are working. Every single punch, sword strike, and slash is deflected from his ocean-like force field.

Jin shakes his head. "Stop." He lifts a few fingers, and the three boys at close combat go flying backwards several meters. Yeonjun lands light, but the other two hit hard and are left struggling against the stage. Soobin and Taehyun rushes forward.

Taehyun uses a newly honed skill to heal Huening Kai and Beomgyu. After a second of his hands glowing lime green, they are good as new.

But Soobin gulps. Wasn't that ability only a fraction of his real power? He could easily wipe them out here and now.

Jin pays them no mind as he moves further up the stage.

"My lovely fans," Jin says into his microphone. "Please stop panicking."

But the mayhem continues. Soobin is frozen in the collective fear, the writhing of seventy thousand people who were expecting the night of their lives but was given glimpses of death instead.

Jin clears his throat. He begins to sing, going from major to minor scales and switching from sustained notes to high falsettos to low staccatos. Slowly, the crowd's writhing begins to dissipate. They all are sheep to the shepherd. They look toward Jin with adoring eyes and hands held to their sides in reverence.

At the same time, Soobin's head aches with fiery pain. He looks around. By the expressions on his team's faces, the other boys are experiencing the same. There's no way out. Jin's voice can be carried for miles with the power of the amplifier.

Soobin manages the strength to stand straight and shoot one last arrow.

Jin turns with rage before it reaches him. He dodges and raises a hand. From the sky, a flaming meteor forms—the size of a boulder. It shoots toward Soobin at a breathtaking speed.

"Quick!"

Taehyun's voice knocks him out of his shivering trance. Soobin looks forward and sees that the mage has summoned a magic door. The other members are jumping through.

Grabbing Taehyun's hand, he jumps through the door right before the meteor strikes and detonates the stage behind him.

A/N: I have mixed feelings about the year ending, but one thing's for sure. Let's continue to support TOMORROW X TOGETHER!