Apocalypse ✦ Nomin

01

⊱ ───── { Jaemin } ───── ⊰

"Jaemin?" a gentle voice speaks as he tries to come to.

His eyelids are heavy, reluctant to allow him sight. Still, he manages to open them to the sight of a thin, silver haired man he has only recalled seeing once in his life.

Life...

Was he still alive?

"Hello," he hums with a warm smile, "I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Taeyong."

"Where am I?" Jaemin inquires as his eyes struggle to focus on the blinding white interior of the room around him, despite the lighting being low.

"All in due time," Taeyong assures him, "I would like you to recall your last memories before now. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Jaemin narrows his eyes in a pained manner as flashes of memories flood through his brain.

"I remember...I remember being tortured in Hell," Jaemin withholds tears as he recalls some of the vicious assaults, "Then...then Jeno came. The real Jeno. He...he brought me back home, but...but..."

"But?" Taeyong prompts him as Jaemin begins to lose his battle keeping his tears at bay.

"I made him go away. Mark made him leave because he didn't want to go...but...but Mark came back," he rambles on, "He...he said he would take care of everything and...he placed his hand on my forehead."

"And what happened then?" Taeyong asks as he gazes at Jaemin intently, hanging on to every word.

"I...I can't remember," Jaemin admits, earning a slow nod from Taeyong.

"I instructed Mark to bring you here while I took care of your aunt," Taeyong explains, "As of right now, your aunt believes you are being treated in a psych ward for severe PTSD from your kidnapping. We told her we would assess your mental state by the end of the week and return you back home, should you be mentally fit to return."

"Wh-where am I, really? How long have I been here?" Jaemin questions.

"This is the hospital wing of Heaven. We have been doing our best to heal you and repair your mental state," Taeyong informs him.

"How long have I been here?" Jaemin repeats himself.

Taeyong presses his lips into a fine line, appearing very hesitant to answer this question. He temporarily shuts his eyes, exhaling deeply with a slight shake of his head. Upon opening them, he finally replies.

"It has been a month, Jaemin," he murmurs.

"A month?" Jaemin screeches one utter horror, not knowing what aspect to worry about the most.

"Please, settle down. I know that is alarming news to you, but healing an individual's mind takes much more time than cuts and bruises. Mental wounds affect far more than just a person's physical state, it affects their way of thinking, their speech, their emotions, and so much more. We had to restore you to your normal mentality before..."

Taeyong trails off, his mouth ceasing to follow his train of thought.

"Before what?" Jaemin presses.

Taeyong rubs his face in his hands, appearing very stressed, therefor heightening Jaemin's anxieties.

"Much has changed since you were brought back from Hell," he mentions cryptically, "The truth is, we did not just bring you here to heal you. I had a vision."

"A vision? Of what?" Jaemin prompts him.

"Of Jeno," he responds, shaking his head a bit more vigorously with his eyes squeezed shut, "He is on a throne, sitting there with black eyes and a grimace on his face. He is speaking to someone and it appears very distressful. I can see flashes of fire and destruction, but it doesn't look like Hell. It looks like Earth."