Apocalypse ✦ Nomin

03

⊱ ───── { Jaemin } ───── ⊰

Jaemin sits in a chair with his face in his hands: soft sobs escaping past his lips as Taeyong watches on from a few feet away in the barren white room.

"I am sincerely sorry, Jaemin," the man speaks kindly, "You did what you could. I guess...I guess we are in the timeline which he does not listen to you..."

Jaemin lifts his face, his vibrant red eyes appearing extremely puffy.

"Wh-what?" Jaemin hiccups.

Taeyong sighs and shakes his head slightly as he shuts his eyes momentarily.

"I see visions of the future, but those come far and few between. It only happens when a significant event is most likely going to occur," he begins to explain, "A sort of alert that the current timeline we live in is either a significantly good one or a disastrously bad one, but not all visions are set in stone. Most times, they are, but influence on certain factors can change the timeline and put us on a new path."

Taeyong opens his eyes and looks directly at Jaemin. He exhales deeply and frowns as he gazes at Jaemin's tear-stained face.

"When I saw Jeno's future, long before he was born, I knew I needed to work much faster than his father at creating a fighting chance against Jeno. I had only four archangels to fight alongside me...but his father destroyed all but one of them. I knew that if I was going to defeat Jeno, I would need more than one, and I would need them in a haste...so I tempted fate and pushed your parents together," Taeyong goes on, "Unfortunately, doing so came at a price."

"P-price? What p-rice?" Jaemin asks in confusion.

"Your mother and father died early deaths in a horrific accident. I understand that you were told it was a drunk driver...and it was...but I have reason to believe Jeno's father played a hand in it. I was not able to save your parents...the angel of death would not allow me...but I could save you. And I did."

"Wh-why?" Jaemin whimpers as his eyes cloud once again with tears.

"It was their time," Taeyong says, "I could have sent you to stay with your grandmother or your uncle, but...but I left you with your aunt due to her close proximity to Jeno. I did not foresee her evil, nor did I ever plan for her to be so cruel to you. I cannot express my regret, enough, but...upon further examination, I found that you were special. You were not just an archangel that would put a stop to Jeno's destruction...you were his soulmate."

"H-he said s-soulm-mates were-"

"I am aware of what he thinks, but he is wrong," Taeyong denies, "I admit that I changed mine, but doing so was a much greater challenge than anyone will ever know. To break the bonds which tie two individuals together so tightly-bonds that run so deeply into the very fabric of who they are-it is not only physically agonizing, but it is mental and emotional torture. It was as if you were removing every single one of your own teeth with a small pair of pliers and multiply that by an astronomical number. Not to mention, it changed the course of fate and history, permanently. It was never fully worth what I did to break my ties with Yuta. Never has anyone else attempted to do such a thing, and I have refused to allow it to happen. I may be happier now, but it was at the cost of many, many lives, and there will never be a day I don't regret having been the cause of that. Jeno would never listen to me tell him that, though. No, he is a very hard-headed boy who believes he can do anything...Especially if told he cannot possibly do it. Jeno always finds a way, no matter how impossible something may seem. He is hellbent on breaking your bond and starting the apocalypse, and he will do everything in his power to get it. I do not doubt him. Not for a split second. If he does not value your love, we must begin training you for battle alongside my other archangel."

"W-wait. If m-my par-rents died, a-re th-they h-ere?" Jaemin asks as his aching heart fills with a small sense of hope.

"I am sorry, Jaemin. They are not," Taeyong says in a low voice, "Their sudden death caused them to be stuck in purgatory. They never got to raise you and care for you, and their guilt and inability to let you go forced them into eternal entrapment in an in-between realm."

Jaemin shakes his head in denial.

"I w-wanna f-find th-em," Jaemin insists.

"Jaemin, a war between Heaven and Hell is approaching. You must stay and train to fight against demons. If you do not, then you are sealing your fate," Taeyong vaguely lectures him.

Jaemin lets this information sink in. He knew Taeyong was right, but he wanted so badly to see his parents...just once...Perhaps he can convince Taeyong at a later time. For now, he needed to focus on this. Still, one last loose tie was eating away at the back of his mind. One he wished to deal with before proceeding.

"I w-want to go b-back," Jaemin states, "I w-ant to sa-ay goodb-bye."

Taeyong furrows his brow as a clear look of confusion upon hearing these words. Mere seconds later, it raises as a soft 'oh' escapes him.

"You don't mean to your aunt," Taeyong inquires, "You mean to say farewell to Renjun. Don't you?"

Jaemin nods slowly as yet another tear drips down his cheek. Taeyong lets out a deep exhale through his nose as he takes a brief moment to contemplate this.

"I can allow for it, but only for a short period of time. The longer you stay on Earth, the more likely it will be that you will be caught and imprisoned by demons. If you're taken by one and dragged down to Hell, I cannot help you. Do I make myself clear?" Taeyong asks.

"Y-yes, s-sir," Jaemin nods in agreement.

"Alright. Then you better hurry. You have thirty minutes," Taeyong announces, and with a snap of his fingers, Jaemin vanishes from the room in a bright flash of light.