Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 53

Hello:) 

WARNING: this chapter mentions death by burning, not really in detail, but that is still one of the main things in this chapter. If you're uncomfortable, please do not read.

LIII: Jungkook

I spin around, surprised to see the monster standing a mere few feet away from me, arms crossed over his chest as he surveys the wreckage around us with calm detachment.

"Why are you here?" I ask, and he raises an eyebrow. "What? Not allowed to take a walk down memory lane?"

"Well no, but..."

"If you must know," The monster says, sighing dramatically, "It's so you don't get yourself killed accidentally. Not that anything can attack you here, but it's better to have backup, isn't it? Plus, it feels nice to be in full control for once, with no nagging voice in my head."

My mouth drops open. "You mean Taehyung's gone? What did you do to him, you monster!"

The monster waves his hand dismissively. "Don't look so alarmed. He's not gone completely. But because this is my memory, only my mind is allowed inside. Besides, you're here with me, the most competent Mask of my generation. Why do you look so afraid?" The look I send him makes him crack a smile.

"Where are we?" I ask, deciding to change the subject. I see flames reaching skywards in the distance, and every building here is either broken or in shambles. It seems like the aftermath of a particularly violent war. Which, I assume, is exactly what it is.

"This," the monster looks around. "Is where I unleashed my first attack. The city of Tieger in the Armisia clan. Before, it was a beautiful city known for its impressive libraries. Now," he gestures at the scorched streets. "It is rubble. They rebuilt it afterwards, but it was never quite the same." I look around, and see that most of the buildings have doric and corinthian columns, like the ones you would see in the front of a library.

"Come," the monster holds out his hand, and after a second, I take it. His grip on my hand is tight as we walk through the ruined streets, and the smell of smoke so thick in the air that I'm afraid I'll choke. As we walk deeper into the ruined city, I start seeing more and more bodies littering the streets; some civilians while others are soldiers. All have died with a horrible look of terror contorted on their faces. An involuntary shudder runs through me, and I move closer to the monster.

"What have you done to this place?" I whisper to him, forcing myself to tear my gaze away from the bodies. "It's in absolute ruins."

"I control many dark forces," the monster answers. "I could burn a whole city to the ground in a day if I wished. But this time―" He breaks off his words mid-sentence as his eyes narrow. He evidently hears something, because his expression becomes stony.

"Quick!" He hisses, ducking into the shadows of an old building beside us, one hand covering my mouth. I squirm in his grip, but one look from him makes me stop. Whatever the danger is, it's serious. The monster's muscles are tense, and he's scanning the sky for something that only he seems to be able to see. If something was bad enough to make the monster hide, I wasn't sure I ever wanted to know what that thing was.

And then I see it.

A shadowy figure flies overhead on outstretched wings, an ominous black dot in the sky. It's only when the firelight catches the silver mask on the person's face do I realize who it is. I let out a squeak of surprise and the monster presses deeper into the shadows, the wings on his back coming up soundlessly to circle me. Too late, I realize that wearing white robes isn't the best form of camouflage in the shadows. My eyes flit back up to the figure in the sky, who has started to lazily circle the air above us, sharp black eyes glinting with unseen things. My body is frozen, and even the monster doesn't move a muscle. Finally after the most agonizing minute of my life, the masked figure moves on, flying away from us.