Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Eighty-Eight

Jeongin's eyes flickered open. The first thing he noticed was that he didn't recognize where he was. Panic settled in as he jolted, only to be held back by thick silver chains; his eyes widened as his heart gradually beat faster and faster as he scrounged his mind for what could have happened, why he was in such a dark place.

His memory was fuzzy; he couldn't remember much, really; he'd gone off to find Hyunsik, but the longer he walked, the more disoriented he'd felt. He remembered seeing something red... something red, staring at him from beyond the forest.

Beyond that point, nothing came to mind. His entire body trembled as his eyes darted about his surroundings, pulling himself back to reality. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to settle his nerves.

He thought about what Hyunsik would do if he were in this situation, in an unknown place, unable to move. After he'd managed to somewhat ease his increasing panic, he opened his eyes again, maintaining that steady rhythm of breathing.

His eyes could be described as good, he did have werewolf blood in him, after all, but despite his enhanced vision, he could barely manage to make out a single thing in this dark room; there was no light whatsoever creeping in; where was the door? Eyes sweeping around the room a few more times, he figured he really couldn't figure anything out by sight.

Wherever he was and whoever had taken him, they knew what he was; especially with the silver chains bound tightly around him. His confusion as well as his dread grew more intense with every second that ticked by; if they knew about him... could it be the witches? Or... his blood chilled at the mere thought of it, the vampires?

Closing his eyes again, his ears strained to pick up on any sound around him; he could make out muffled voices, but he was too far to tell what they were saying. All he knew was that there were a lot of them. The air around him was damp, and smelled distinctly of dirt.

His eyes flew open; then... then he was underground, wasn't he? He swallowed thickly. Desperation grew in the pit of his stomach the longer he thought about it. He had no solution, nor did he know anything about where he was, or who had taken him. They had come prepared; even as he tried to expel a small spell, the flow of magi was abruptly blocked, discomfort building in his chest. They'd even placed magic-preventing runes around this place.

Tears welled in his eyes, shaky sobs bouncing off the endless blackness that surrounded him. With his limited movements, he still managed to pull his knees up to his chest, bending his neck to place his head in them, shoulders trembling.

Why was he even here? What did they want?

~#~#~#~#~#~

Hyunsik stared up at the moon, fists tightly clenched. The note that had been left for him crumpled, his anger growing along with the shade of his eyes. If Chan hurt Jeongin in any way, he would be sorry; Vampire King or not, he would stop at nothing until he laid dead in the ground, or burnt to a crisp.

If they touched so much as a hair on that boy's head—

Hyunsik closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. It would do him no good to get so worked up, so blinded by the rage that festered in his dead chest. He couldn't go in blindly, or he'd get the both of them killed.

Jisung had a plan, and if it worked out... he'd be able to get Jeongin out of there. Of course... he knew what saving him would mean, what it would cost him, but, truly, Hyunsik didn't care. He'd lived more than long enough; he'd lived through lifetimes worth of pain, and this boy, this little ray of sunshine, had shed some light on his once dreary existence.

He would live on, in peace and harmony, once this war was over; he trusted that Jisung would take care of him once he was gone. He once again turned his stare towards the brilliant night sky. It was strange, how, now that he knew his days were numbered, he could truly enjoy such a beautiful view.