Taehyung's hands were cold, as cold as the ground on which I kneeled. His breathing was unsteady as he fought to control himself. The feeling of helplessness controlled me because I knew that there was no way I would be able to get him out of the cell unless I had the key; but by then I would have been too late.
"Why do my dreams continue to haunt me even when I am awake?" He forced out in a strained voice as if it took all of his energy to speak. "Why are you here?" He gripped on to my hand as if he was afraid of letting go and I caressed his cheek, saddened by how hopeless and afraid he looked. He no longer had the strength to pretend to be strong or ruthless and his look of despair coupled with loneliness broke my heart, which no longer belonged to me.
"Tae look at me." I whispered as I looked into his eyes. "I am here to help you and I promise you that I will get you out of here."
He let go of my hands and moved away from the bars, "No. I can't..." he sat on the floor with his face resting on his knees as he whispered more to himself than to me. "I can't leave."
"Tae. Please we need to get you home." I spoke desperately.
"I don't have a home." He spat out. "Everything has been a prison to me, even my own body." He sighed "I cannot leave. Not while I am a danger to you."
"You are not dangerous to me." I whispered loudly as I peered in to his eyes.
"You say that but yet I watched you lie dead in my arms." He choked out "If my life puts yours in danger, then I would rather have death." He walked closer to the barred door and he placed a hand on my shoulder "Please leave, go before any of the guards see you."
"No." I protested as anger began to overtake my thoughts. "I won't..."
"Your brother will be able to leave tomorrow, wait for him in the forest." he cut me off, as if he was in a rush to speak before he changed his mind. He pulled my hand through the bars and placed a chaste kiss on my hand "Eli!" He exclaimed as he held me as close as possible, holding me with despair as he refused to look in to my eyes. "I have hurt many people in my life, including you." he sighed as he moved his hand to wipe the tears from my eyes. "I deserve death but I want to die knowing that you are safe." He pleaded with me to leave him behind and yet that was the last thing I wanted.
"You said you want me to be safe but can you not see how much damage your death will cause." I whispered frightfully "Do you not see how much I care about you? Do you not see how much loosing you will ruin me? I promised you I would help you control your demon and I intend to keep that promise."
"You will only hurt for so long." He spoke as he tried to hide his emotions but I could tell by the pain in his darkened eyes that he wanted to live even if it seemed impossible.
"I only have so long." I spat out as I pulled away from him.
"What do you mean by that?" he stuttered and looked into my eyes. A look of horror painted his tear-stained face as he noticed that my eyes were not my own. "What did you do?" he yelled as he grabbed on to my shoulders, shaking me as what little sanity he had left disintegrated. I was the cause of half of his pain. He wanted to die knowing I was safe, yet he would die seeing me possessed by a demon; one of the very things which had destroyed his life.
"I'm sorry." I whimpered as I tried to hold on to him as he moved away. "I thought I was doing the right thing."
"By becoming what I despise the most?" he growled "You have hurt me more than you have saved me and I have to die knowing that the person I love gave her life away as if it meant nothing to her."
"You are doing the exact same thing." I yelled, hitting against the bars in frustration. "You are accepting death so easily as if your life means nothing to you and as if it means nothing to me." I spat as I gazed intensely at his broken face, saddened by the evident bags under his eyes and the cuts on his face from where he had clawed himself in anger. I moved my gaze till I met his eyes once more. "You may hate your life but if you really wanted to die you would not be staring at me with so much fear in your eyes." I wiped my arm across my face, looking down in shame.
"I do not fear death." He announced but I knew he was lying to convince himself that death was merely a destination and not the end.
"I did what I did because I could not see another way. I let the demon possess me because I knew I would not have enough strength but I cannot even form a proper contract with her." I sighed as I took one step further away from the cell, holding a hand up as if to silence him "If you really want me to leave and you mean it then I will. I will go away with Hakyeon and with Leo but don't ever expect me to forget you as if your life holds no meaning to me."
"Hakyeon." Leo whimpered as he clung on to his wounds, reminding me that he was there and that he was right. "Hakyeon is alive." He stuttered as he fought to stay conscious.
I faced him with a broken smile, nodding as I wished that if anything Leo and Hakyeon would be reunited. Leo returned the smile before looking at the cold ground as if a sense of relief overtook him.
Taehyung beckoned me forwards, holding out his hand to grip mine as he did so. "I am unstable, very little of me is actually me anymore and with every passing day it becomes more difficult for me to make my own decisions but just know that it was my own decision to love you." he rested his head against mine as best as he could, wishing that the bars of the cell would disappear.
The sound of footsteps echoes through the halls as Taehyung looked at me with so much worry and regret; it was a look that I returned. "Go, hide and promise me you will do whatever gives you the sense of freedom that you desire."
A war raged within me but the look in Taehyung's eyes told me that I needed to leave. I needed to grant him his last wish because I owed him that much.
I kissed his forehead, as I slowly let go of his hand as if it killed me to do so. I smiled at him with a mixture of anger, sadness and desperation. Perhaps he thought it was a last smile but to me it was a promise.
The footsteps got louder as the body stormed down the corridor. I moved to hide against the wall of one of the staircases, away from the footsteps as I took one last look at Taehyung, wishing I could have done more.
Jimin stepped into the light, as the candles illuminated his guilty face. Jin followed behind him as he clung on to a jar; a jar which held a human soul.
Jin walked up to Taehyung's cage, unscrewing the jar as he did so. He held out the open jar to Taehyung as if to entice him and lure him into a trap. Taehyung's eyes darkened as he sensed the soul. It tortured him as he longed for it and the sweet taste which fueled him with an uncontrollable form of energy, provided it was taken along with a dose of the chemicals which made him truly evil.
Taehyung growled as he gripped on to the bars, craving the souls which had become his addiction.
"Hello Taehyung." Jin smirked as he unlocked the barred gate, circling around Taehyung. Taehyung sat on the ground, digging his nails in to his legs as his claws had begun to form. Blood stained his legs where his pants had been ripped. Now with more lights to illuminate the room I could see clearly every bruise and cut on Taehyung's body. They littered his body as if he had been mauled by an animal, but each mark had been caused by the beast who controlled him.
"Jin." He growled as he lunged towards the monster who held out the jar as a peace offering.
"I see the human is very much alive, pity, his soul would have made things less complicated." He spoke as he glanced over at Leo, rolling his eyes in disgust at the mess that my brother was in. "You couldn't even finish him off." Jin scoffed as he moved closer to Taehyung.
"I won't kill him." Taehyung spat out as he moved to stand before Leo, adopting a protective stance as he raised his fists in defense.
"I never said you had to, I simply said you couldn't." Jin taunted as gestured for Jimin to step forward. Jimin walked forward reluctantly, holding on to Jin's arm as he followed Jin's orders.
"How has being trapped behind a cell feel? Not that it is anything new to you," Jin chuckled as grabbed Taehyung's arm, admiring the demonic claws which had started to grow.
"Why are you doing this?" Taehyung questioned as he fought to control his breathing, fearing the consequences that would arise if he lost control.
"Because you almost killed the person I had taken a liking to. It angered me that she saw good in you even though you had killed many of her kind." Jin spat out. "Yet even after you hurt her she still chose you."
"Eli?" Taehyung questioned angrily, shocking me at the anger and jealousy that was present in his strained voice.
Jin shrugged in response, dropping the glass jar to the ground as he spoke "We don't have much time to talk before your execution and Jimin has far more to say to you than I do." Jin winked in my direction and I stumbled on the coarse ground. He knew very well that I was present and that I was listening to every word he had to say.
"Well I have nothing to say to Jimin and the very mention of his name makes me bloodthirsty." Taehyung spat out as he ignored Jimin's presence.
Jimin stared at Taehyung with unreadable emotions hidden in his eyes. He reached for Taehyung's shoulder "You won't understand my reasons but they are there. I have lived in your shadow for years and I have accepted your pain as if it was my own, it is time I claimed my reward for the hell I lived through." Jimin whispered as if he held little remorse and mercy in his heart. He was merciless.
Jimin grabbed on to his sword before raising it. He stabbed it into the soul and I shuddered at the harrowing screams that came from the soul which had been kept alive without a body to live in. Like a ruthless killed he stabbed Taehyung exactly where his tattoo was situated. Taehyung hissed and clung on to Jimin as the blade tore through his flesh easily as if it had been designed specifically with the intent to kill Taehyung.
"It is my turn to be acknowledged and it is my turn to receive glory." Jimin smiled as he pulled out the blade. Taehyung gasped as he hunched over, begging V to stop the beast from gaining control.
Jimin held up the blade and held it before Taehyung. He chuckled "Let's see who really deserves to live."
"I will not fight you." Taehyung spat "I will die whether I fight you or not," he shuddered as the chemical had begun to work its way through his body.
Jimin nodded "Yes you will die because death has waited long enough for you ,but I never said anything about fighting for your own life."
Strong arms wrapped themselves around me, holding on to me so tightly that I battled to breath. I kicked my legs, fighting to be set free but I held little strength compared to the demonic being. The body dropped me to the ground before Taehyung and Jimin chuckled as he thanked the man who had once been my father.
"I know you will never fight for your own life but perhaps you will fight for hers." Jimin smirked as he pointed the blade of his sword against my neck.
The cold metal slightly touched my neck and it filled me with a sense of hatred but relief. I glanced in to Jimin's eyes, smirking back at him. The demon was taking control.
Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think and I hope you all still find Mercy interesting. I love you all and thank you for reading. also be blessed with this blurry photo and the only photo i have of my cat, Leo because he hates photos. he accompanies me while I write so he deserves some recognition.