Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Ninety-One

PRESENT DAY

Jisung paced around the large tent that had been propped up in the center of the camp, insides churning. He hadn't felt calm since Minho had left, and it had already been a handful of days, now. Not to mention, it was dangerous to use their link unless they really needed to – there was no telling if the Vampire King had something that could detect something like that.

He'd hardly be surprised at anything anymore; they had to be cautious of every little detail. They really didn't have the best of plans, either, there were too many holes, too many things that could go wrong. He hated that he'd had to send Minho right into the lion's den, unsure of what to even expect.

He was slightly placated by the fact that Minho hadn't used his link to reach him yet, which he'd promised to do if ever something went horribly wrong. Then again... maybe the Vampire King had some sort of rune that could block it out entirely. Felix had barely been able to contact Changbin when he'd been locked away within the Crimson Castle.

Shaking his head, Jisung's pacing grew in speed; Felix had been injured, and Minho was a red-eyed vampire – the King couldn't control him like that. He paused, exhaling softly as he leaned against the table full of battle plans in the center of the tent.

He really wished his dad was there – if anything to reassure him that he was making the right decisions. The flap to the tent was pulled open, the thick fabric fluttering in the wind. He looked over his shoulder as Seungmin, followed closely by Hyunjin, entered.

"Is your magic recuperating?" he questioned, to which the wizard nodded, though a frown pulled at his lips.

His eyes swept around the room as he entered further, and visibly, from his expression, the alpha could deduce that something was bothering him greatly. Seungmin was quiet for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not he should really say it, when he suddenly sighed, shaking his head. "I have a bad feeling about this."

That was all he said to break the silence, and Jisung could only blink at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

The pit in his stomach grew, sinking its claws deeper and deeper into his core. "Our plan revolves around the fact that we can successfully kill the Vampire King, but... something is bothering me." His eyebrows furrowed as he finally arrived at the table, standing directly in front of Jisung. "The book is full of spells that you don't need to be a witch to cast, but, with all magic, there are conditions, or prices, to meet in order to cast it."

The crease in his forehead grew. "But I don't know what these conditions could possibly be, for a spell this strong." He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest, and Jisung was sure he'd never seen his friend quite so antsy as this before. "I didn't... get a chance to read about them, either." His voice lowered along with his eyes. "And the book has been burned."

He looked up again. "I'm not sure how foolproof our plan is, Jisung. I'm... worried that it'll go sideways because of these unknown conditions. If we fail this time... it spells doom for all of us involved. You and Minho are the only ones who can take him down – if something goes wrong... we'll all be slaughtered."

This had also occurred to Jisung several times before he'd sent Minho off. Part of him wanted to keep him close and run away from this problem – part of him didn't believe they'd be able to pull it off, that something they had not anticipated would go horribly wrong. The other part of him, the part of him that kept him in check and told him that he could not – would not – abandon his people in their time of need, as their Alpha, told him that they would succeed.

Whatever the price was, they would succeed; the feeling had settled in his gut. He chose to trust that gut instinct, chasing away the fears and the doubts that threatened to bubble over every time he opened his eyes in the morning and every time he fell asleep without Minho at his side.