The Forbidden Bond✅

18. Flames of war

Pinned by humans' dark, debilitating magic, Taehyung looks up at jungkook in horror. Hoseok holds out his spelled dagger.

"Go on, Jungkook. Take it. Take it and kill him."

"Petal, wh-what is this?"

"It's a long story. I'll explain later."

"It's ok, jungkook, you can tell him the truth. He can't move under our spell." Jungkook backs up but hoseok grabs his wrist.

Growing more and more angry, Jungkook tears his hand out of hoseok's tight grip. "Don't touch me."

"That's okay. You don't need me to assist you with this." Hoseok smiles, looking down at Jungkook's hand.

Suddenly, Jungkook feels his fingers wrap around something heavy and sharp. With some unknown magic hoseok had put the dagger directly in his hand.

"I told you I'd return it to you when you needed it most. Now is that time."

Taehyung struggles behind jungkook, barely rising to his knees. The humans chant louder, and he is slammed back into the stone floor. "God damn it!"

"You're the promised one, Jungkook."

Taehyung raises his head up at hoseok's words "The promised one. The high priest called you that too."

"He did but I don't understand what it means."

"It means you were meant to do this, Jungkook. You were meant to kill the Dragon king. To end this reign of terror." Hoseok takes another step towards him. "You swore you'd do this, Jungkook. You know it's the only way. The only way to free us all."

Taehyung couldn't believe all that he was hearing, he was in pain physically as well as mentally and emotionally. "You..... swore you'd do this?" Taehyung looks up at him. At the deadly weapon in his hand. "Petal, was this your plan all along? Did you.... always plan to kill me?"

"Taehyung, I can't say it's a bad idea. "

"What?" Taehyung's eyes widen, shock and betrayal plain on his face. Jungkook could barely look at him.

"You know it's true, Taehyung. Even you can admit it.... it would end the long history of dragons abusing humans. No more rulers with your awesome power. No more imbalance."

Taehyung grits his teeth tearing his eyes away from Jungkook as he figures with all his might to get free.

"But I can't do it."

Hoseok snaps his head towards Jungkook "what?"

"I can't do it... I care too much about Taehyung. I refuse to shed his blood."

"Petal....." Taehyung's cold gaze seems to soften slightly at his words. He stops fighting.

"So you choose this murdering ruler over your own people?" Hoseok and his army of humans glare at jungkook, their eyes black with hatred.

"Yes I do."

"But the survival of human race is at stake!"

"It isn't Taehyung threatening it! It's V! He has already killed my twin. A mere child. He turned him without a second thought. I'm sure he's done equally gruesome things to your family."

Several humans look away, his words hitting them deep inside but hoseok doesn't relent. "No one here is saying V isn't a monster, too. We just want to kill the one that's in front of us." 

The humans straighten, renewed by his words. They take up their grizzly chant with even mover fervor. Taehyung gasps in pain, writhing on the ground now. The invisible chains of magic that bind him dig deep into his flesh.