Gods of the Sea (BTS Vocal Line X Reader)

Chapter 34 - Curses

You stumbled back, not understanding what Seokjin was saying.

"Killed?" you repeated. "That's impossible. I could never..."

"Your pure soul wouldn't understand your tainted soul," Seokjin said, repeating the king's words. "As you've suffered, your morality has purified. You wouldn't be capable of the same sins now."

You couldn't fully understand his meaning, but your mind was too frazzled to understand much at all.

"It would explain your human obsession to protect your family," Seokjin continued. "Just as Taehyung's adulterous soul would be obsessed with true love."

You looked at Taehyung, who now looked like a complete stranger. It wasn't just the wings. There was something about him that was now somehow mature and battle-scarred, as if all the lives he once lived had caught up to him. Something flickered in his eyes as he looked at you, and you couldn't understand why he was looking at you in such a way.

Was it because you were a murderer?

"But your sins have been cleansed," Seokjin said, squeezing your arm to get your attention. "And you have a decision to make."

You glanced at the platform in the middle of the lake where Taehyung had received his wings. It was somehow drawing you in... you were a clueless moth to an eternal flame.

"I can't," you managed to whisper out.

His eyebrow bounced, unamused. "I had a feeling you'd say that."

"It's just too much information at once," you replied. "I don't understand what's happening..."

"If the woman waits too long, she may slip into the next life still cursed," Yoongi commented.

"Yes, but to make any decision in haste could be tragic for all of us," Hoseok replied.

King Namjoon stepped forward, approaching both Seokjin and you.

"Y/N..." he said gently, "come with me for a moment."

He held out his elbow like a gentleman, nodding for you to accept the invitation. You took his arm mindlessly, wrapping your fingers around his biceps. The touch was warm and nostalgic, like a childhood blanket wrapped around your shoulders.

Yoongi and Hoseok followed behind you, but Taehyung and Seokjin stayed in the throne room. The King led you into the maze of halls, taking one slow deliberate step after the other. Hoseok and Yoongi stayed ten feet behind you, walking in unison.

"I know you, don't I?" you asked, looking up at King Namjoon.

His lips pulled to the side in a confused smile. "What makes you ask that?"

"Because Taehyung spoke to you as if he knew you. And when I touch your arm, I feel like I should know you too."

The king paused for a long moment before answering.

"I know all my people," he said, "from the moment they came into existence. We knew each other once, yes. And should you take your wings again, you will recognize me."

"But when we first came --"

"I treated you both like strangers. It's unfair, I know. But after doing this for a thousand years, I've learned that explaining everything upfront only creates more problems."

You swallowed, sighing. "I feel like I'm split in two, Your Majesty. I can't understand any of this."

He stopped, turning to face you with a warmth in his eyes you felt was unearned.