Never Give Up

Chapter 44

POV: Y/N

You were floating in a sea of pain and darkness. The sadness for having to leave your soulmates was intense. You thought about your life choices to this point and wondered if you would do anything differently. There were always things that you wished you'd done, but the butterfly effect... If you changed one thing, what else would change? What if you made a small change and suddenly you never met your soulmates? What if it was something even more horrifying...? No, you wouldn't change anything. Your soulmates were too precious and worth any amount of pain and struggle.

Your only regret now was that they would be left sad and in pain. You'd heard tales of broken soul bonds and the soulmate left choosing to follow their partner. You could only pray that with seven still within the bond, they could still live, thrive and be happy. They'd managed without you before, couldn't they do it again?

"Are you done feeling sorry for yourself?" The gentle voice surrounded you and sounded disappointed in you.

You sighed. You didn't like to disappoint people, but you didn't know what the voice meant. You hadn't chosen the situation you'd found yourself in. "What are you talking about?" you demanded. "I got shot and it was so hard to breathe. I died!"

"Your soulmates aren't going to let you go so easily," the voice said disapprovingly. "However, you seem to be more than willing to let them go."

You had never been so offended in your life. It wasn't like you had killed yourself or done any self harm. "How dare you!" you screamed in rage. "I never want to let them go, but what can I do?"

"Ummm, make an effort?" the voice sneered. It was odd that it was both angry and judgmental but gentle and understanding. "Fight your way back to their side?"

You wanted to snark back, but was the voice wrong? You could feel your soul weeping in pain. You didn't want to go. You wanted to be with them for a long time. But were you really doing anything to work for that? You were just floating in the darkness. Did this voice know how to get back? Would it help you? "What do I have to do?" you asked humbly. If it helped, you would beg.

Laughter floated around you and you felt some relief as you could hear no malice. "You will have more challenges in the future, but you cannot falter." You felt something caress your cheek and your heart lightened. A light appeared in the distance. "Work hard for your bond, Y/N. Trust them and trust yourself. You deserve it and so do they."

The voice faded away and you were left alone again. You struggled toward the only thing not dark in your environment. The light was blinding and a little painful where it shined on you. As the pain increased, you had to remind yourself regularly that you'd just committed to fight and said they were worth any amount of pain and struggle. As the light started to surround you, the pain was intense, but you could hear the boys. Your connection to your soulmates actually seemed to float before your eyes. It was a lovely thought that these strands constantly connected you to them. Your heart warmed at the thought of returning to them as you made the final push through the light.

It felt like you landed hard into a bed of pain but strange numbness. Hushed voices surrounded you in love and care. One hand was held tightly, while the other was held gingerly. It was a little hard, but you blinked your eyes open. It was a little blurry, so you fluttered your eyes to clear them. Everyone was surrounding you, including Jeny and Sejin. "Wha..." You started to cough with how dry your throat felt.

Jungkook was right there with a glass of water. You wanted to take deep gulps, but he held your hands tight so you could only sip. You smiled at him as he put it to the side, but he didn't return it. In fact, he wouldn't even look at you. Before you could check with him, your friend pulled your attention. "Y/N! Are you... How do you feel?" Jeny's eyes looked puffy and, as you looked around, you noticed a lot of dark circles.