Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 52

Hi guys!

I'm sorry for the long wait, but this chapter was somehow much harder to write than the previous ones. 4000+ words, so I hope you enjoy :)

LII: Jungkook

Why am I not dead?

That is the first conscious thought I have.

Every part of my body hurts, and I groan as I force open my eyes. The simple action leaves me lightheaded as I turn my head sideways to survey the sky, seeing the full moon rise above the horizon. It must have been hours since I was last awake. The stiffness in my body tells me that much.

My lips tingle and put a hand to them, wondering why they felt a bit different than usual. As my vision comes into focus, I realize that I'm lying in a somewhat shaded grove of trees, small balls of... light flickering all around me. Closer inspection tells me that it isn't lights, but fires. I yelp as my hand accidentally grazes the top of the flame. I expect it to burn, but it only gives an almost soothing sensation, pleasantly warm on my fingertips. Was fire supposed to do that?

I prop myself up into a sitting position, wincing when I feel the fresh cuts on my body sting. How had I gotten these cuts? Memories flood into my brain, and I remember the ground cracking open. Falling... A pair of arms circling me just before I lost consciousness. Sweet words murmured into my ear. Who had those arms belonged to? The words? My head hurts, so I lie back down on the ground again, closing my eyes.

A thick cloak is around my shoulders, and I recognize the scent as Taehyung's. Coupled with the enchanted fires, it blocks out the cold effectively, and I burrow my nose into it, finding comfort in my soulmate's scent. A thought strikes me. If Taehyung's cloak is here, that means...

I jump up, ignoring the pain shooting through my spine. Taehyung! Taehyung must be close by. Of course! Who else had the power to conjure magical fires? Then did that mean that Taehyung had saved me? I couldn't imagine the monster going out of his way to jump down the cliff after me, so it must have been Taehyung. Had somehow won back control? But then, why had he left me here alone?

"Taetae?" My voice echoes in the night. The only response I get is the chirping of crickets and the whoosh of the wind. "Taehyung!"

Silence.

He's not here.

Dread seeps into my bones, as I frantically look around at my surroundings. I'm alone. Even if Taehyung had been here before, he had evidently left me. Was he in the woods? Back in Shadow Valley? Or perhaps someplace totally different? I... don't know. How was I supposed to find him?

"I-I don't know what to do anymore." I bury my face in my hands, falling to my knees. Jimin. Yoongi. I'm so sorry. Taehyung could be anywhere, and I had no lead, no nothing. No way to find him. The forest spread before me is so vast, that I could easily spend the rest of my life looking and not find him. Assuming he was even in the forest. Why would Taehyung abandon me like this? As tears start to fall from my eyes, I notice something strange. There's something glowing in my vision. A speck of light on my hand. When I wipe the tears from my eyes, I find the source of the strange light.

It's the ring that Taehyung gave me.

Looking down, I see that the moonstone is... glowing? As I watch, the ring starts to shake, and a bright shower of light shoots out of the stone. It makes the air around me sizzle, before condensing into a straight beam of blue light that points towards the woods. I slowly stand up, one hand clutching at the cloak as I look down at the now glowing ring. The thin ray of light starts from the moonstone and leads straight into the dark forest, never seeming to stop. Almost like it was trying to show me a path...