Hello! It's just me, your friendly neighborhood Wattpad author.
So, this chapter is a bit of a filler chapter, but it does contain some VITAL information about the previous Keeper and what being a Keeper really means. If you do not want to be highly confused about this, please read carefully.
Alrighty, lez get it.
Love you!
-Max
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Hoseok's eyes were narrowed slightly as he stared at the small book he held in his hands, a soft sigh falling from his lips as his fingers brushed over the cover.
"So, this is what you meant." He mused aloud, "Things would have been so much easier if you hadn't left like that."
He raised his gaze from the book, his eyes moving to look out of the window he currently sat in front of, his mind flashing back to the day when everything had changed for the two of you.
"I need you to promise me, Hoseok."
Your father's voice was stern and heavy, his eyes set in determination as he stared at the young boy.
"I-I don't understand," He confessed sadly. "W-Why do you have to go? Y-Y/n is going to be so sad if you leave her."
Your father sent him a sad smile, his dark hair falling over his eyes.
"She-" He paused, taking a deep breath. "She won't even know I'm gone."
Hoseok's eyes widened, brows furrowing.
"Y-Yes she will!" He argued. "You-You're her dad! She's going to know that you left her all alone!-"
"She won't." He interrupted. "Because she isn't going to remember me...She can't."
Hoseok blinked, his bright eyes slowly beginning to fill with tears.
"Wh-What do you mean?" He whispered. "Where are you going? Why are you leaving her? Has she been bad?!"
Your father shook his head, curly locks waving in the process as his bright blue eyes began to fill with tears.
"I have to go somewhere." He explained. "Somewhere that I cannot come back from...I'm..."
Hoseok watched with sad eyes as the man struggled to find the right words, his hand running through his hair as he stared at the young boy with a sympathetic smile.
"I'm dying, Hoseok." He deadpanned.
The chestnut-haired boy's eyes widened, his hands shaking as his body stiffened in shock.
"B-But," He paused. "You look healthy...I-I saw you eat a bunch of apples...that-that means that you aren't supposed to get sick."
Your father laughed, shaking his head.
"I'm not sick." He said. "I've just served my purpose...I've passed down my gift and, now that I am no longer needed, I have to leave."
"That-That's hurting my head." The child cried. "What does that mean? Is this like a math question?"
"Listen, little Robin," He cooed gently, wiping the boy's tears. "Y/n may not know it yet, but I've given her something very special--something that she cannot know about for a long time...I wish I could stay longer...I-I thought I had more time, but I don't."
Hoseok sniffed, wiping his own tears with his sleeve, his nose red.
"Wh-What did you give her?" He asked. "Is it going to make her leave me too?"
The dark-haired man smiled sadly.
"It might." He admitted. "When you wake up tomorrow, no one but you will even know that I existed...They won't remember things the same way that you do."
"Why am I different?" He asked. "Why don't you change my rememory too?"
He chuckled.
"Because I have a very important mission for you," He lightly poked his chest. "One day, Y/n is going to be needed by some people--by a lot of people...What I've given her, it's going to force her to make an extremely difficult choice...I need you to be there for her when it does. I need you to watch out for my little girl."
The child's chest jumped with hiccups as he struggled to contain himself.
"Is-Is the gift going to kill Y/n?" He cried.
"I don't know." He answered, honestly. "I can only hope that she can avoid my fate...that's why I'm doing this...I'm protecting her, little Robin, but I can only do so much. You must promise to look after her in my stead...Can you do that for me?"
He bit his lip, trying his best to contain his emotions as he clenched his hands into fists tears pouring out onto his cheeks, the cold, winter air causing them to feel warm against his rosy skin.
"I-I wanna save her." He sniffed "I wanna be her hero...like she was mine."
Your father smiled at the boy, gently patting his head.
"Thank you-"
His blue eyes widened as the boy leapt forward, his arms wrapping around the man's neck as he buried his face into his neck, small cries leaving his lips.
"I'm sorry that you have to leave." He sobbed. "I-I know that you're going to miss Y/n. I know that you are scared."
The tall man's eyes widened at the profound words that came from the child, a few stray tears falling over his cheeks as he wrapped him up in a warm hug, his own emotions escaping him for a brief moment as he considered all that he would be leaving behind.
"Please," He whispered to the boy, "Please don't let her think that she wasn't loved. Give her reasons to smile, Robin...be her sunshine."
Hoseok nodded his head, soft cries coming from his mouth.
"I-I will." He sobbed. "I promise."
Hoseok hummed as he stared out the window.
He didn't really do a good job of keeping that promise, did he?
Sure, he'd stayed with you through that time...if was scary at first, watching you be placed into foster care and move in with people who weren't your real family...
But, it was just liked he had told him. No one remembered your father...not even you.
It was hard for him to be so close to you. You were still the same Y/n he'd known, but you didn't know your father and the love and admiration that you'd always carried for him was a big part of who you were...Hoseok found it difficult to speak to you when he knew that you didn't know the whole truth...it felt like he was constantly lying to your face...and, in a way, he was.
So, he had settled for watching on the sidelines as you began to rebuild your life, making new friends and working your butt off for good grades.
He always knew that something was coming, though. Something big that was sure to change everything.
Maybe that's why he wasn't so shocked when he woke up in the middle of a forest.
His head snapped up at the sound of a loud banging in the distance, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he began to look around the room for the source.
He stood to his feet, swiftly exiting the room, book still in hand as he walked down the stairs and into the main room, searching diligently for whatever was causing the sound.
His eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight before him.
"Y/n?" He called.
Your body tensed up as you slowly turned to face the orange-haired man.
Taehyung stood behind you, his eyes narrowed and set in determination.
"How did you get here?" Hoseok asked, eyeing you. "Jin told us that you-"
You shushed him, waving off his question.
"Taehyung zapped us here." You explained, not really knowing of any other way to explain what the heck just happened to you. "Listen, you need to go and get the others up. We have to leave. Now."
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared at you, trying to process what you just said.
"What? Why?" He asked. "What is going on?"
Taehyung stepped forwards.
"There was no one at the castle." He stated, a dangerous look in his eyes.
Hoseok frowned, tilting his head.
"And?" He asked. "I'm sure that must have made it easier for the two of you to escape.-"
"No." He interrupted. "There were no guards, no foot soldiers--Titan's army had disappeared entirely."
He blinked.
"What? Where did they go? There's no way all those men just dropped off the face of the Earth."
"They're coming here." You stated frantically. "Titan's entire army is on it's way here. They're going to surround us and kill all of us. We have to get the others and leave before it's too late."
Hoseok's eyes widened at those words, his jaw clenching as he nodded his head.
"I understand." He hummed. "Titan still doesn't know that we are aware of his identity. We could take him hostage and-"
"And what? Kill me?"
Your entire being stiffened up at the voice that filled your ears, your eyes narrowing dangerously as you sent a glare to your lover's twin brother.
Titan stood with a large smile on his face.
The twin was fully dressed now, body adorned in a deep red suit as he descended the stairs, head tilted to the side in amusement as he stared all of you down.
Behind him came the others--or rather, they were dragged.
Red Knights followed behind their leader, their weapons drawn and placed onto the backs of each one of your friends, forcing them to move forward.
Each one of the boys had a look of hatred in their eyes.
From the looks of them, you could tell that they had been pulled from their sleep, their hair and clothes ruffled and messy.
The door to the inn swung open, revealing more Knights, smiles on their faces as they pushed their way into the small building, surrounding you and your friends, weapons pointed towards each and every one of you.
If you made one wrong move, you would be dead.
This was the moment that you had been dreading...
The moment when you'd finally have to face Titan.
He smiled widely, watching your expression harden as you glared at him.
"I've been waiting to have this chat with you for sometime....
Keeper."