Gods of the Sea (BTS Vocal Line X Reader)

Chapter 31 - Bad Match

You couldn't sleep.

It seemed logical considering your doom would be sealed the next day.

Taehyung slept soundly, breathing heavily as he gave way to dreams. You wondered how long it had been since he slept somewhere that felt like home. This place seemed to soothe him. You could see it.

You also knew this place soothed him because it soothed you as well.

You stepped out of the room, wandering into the caverns. You weren't worried about getting lost; for some reason, you didn't feel afraid of many things here. You were afraid for your trial and the crew's fates, but in everything else, you felt completely at peace.

The air here felt cool and refreshing, and every ache in your body seemed to release. With such a healing feeling, you wanted to stay here forever. But guilt nagged you as soon as that thought crossed your mind.

Everything here was familiar and foreign, new but nostalgic. It was as if you had visited your favorite childhood hiding place, only to find that it had changed completely from your memory.

But you had never been here... right?

You didn't know how long you had wandered through the caves, but no one stopped you or accused you of trespassing. The caves were still and quiet, the only sounds breaking the silence were the brooks that ran down the caverns.

You followed one of the brook branches, ending up in a strange room that had a bluish-white glow. The brook streamed into a large pool, the steam from the hot water rising to caress your face.

"Is this... a hot spring?" you asked yourself.

You touched the pool with the back of your hand, the water warm and inviting. You agreed to its invitation, slipping off your shoes and dipping your toes in. Somehow, you knew this wasn't against the rules. Somehow you knew this was completely common and accepted here, but you didn't question why you knew such a thing. You wiggled your toes under the water, sighing with a smile as the heat coated your legs in warmth.

"Is that all it takes for you to be happy?" a voice asked.

You gasped and turned to the voice, irritated to find Seokjin sitting on the other side of the pool. He was shirtless, the water surrounding the edges of his ribs as he sipped a glass of wine.

"I didn't realize you were here," you said.

He chuckled. "So I noticed."

There was a glow that rose out of the water, hitting Seokjin's skin and bringing a strange power to the Celtic circles across his chest and shoulder. He cocked his head to the side as he looked at you.

"Do you like what you see, Mother?"

You cringed. "I told you to quit calling me that."

He chuckled, bringing his wine glass to his lips. "That's one way to dodge my question."

You couldn't help but stare at the patterns across his skin.

"Did they burn those into you?" you asked, unable to hold in your curiosity.

He took another sip of his wine and nodded. "Burning the skin is the only way to release the demons."

You blinked. "Demons?"

"Judges are humans that were once possessed by demons."

You snorted. "Are you sure you're not still possessed?"

He swished his wine in his cheek with a distasteful look as he set the wine glass down next to him.

"So you're human?" you asked.