Shamans Kim

Chapter 24: Seokjin's distress

You were afraid of being alone.

Jungkook was sure of it after what Bae told him. Seokjin had become attached to his first soul because he was just a child who had been thrust into the role of master of the gate of light. His soul was attached to the sanctuary and he could never leave it. So he created a little family of luminous souls.

Over time, he had let some go, but too many had stayed. Because he couldn't let them go, he didn't want to lose them forever and be left alone or with constantly different souls to whom he could not become attached.

He hated his brothers and even though he had Namjoon, he must have been afraid that Namjoon would choose to bond with his brother and abandon him. Alos rather than relying solely on this one person, he had decided that the souls would stay with him.

Deep down, Seokjin was still just a child who had to take care of others before himself, so no one could really blame him but now that this situation had become untenable for him, he had to realize it. Someone had to make him realize. And Jungkook had just made it his duty.

"That's not true..." Seokjin muttered unconvincingly.

"If that's not true, then release Bae," Jungkook replied, pointing at the little boy who didn't respond and just looked at Seokjin's reaction.

Seokjin looked petrified at the mere idea.

"I know Bae is the first chomyeon you've taken care of, he should be gone by now," Jungkook said.

"Who are you to say he should be gone?" Seokjin replied harshly.

"The guy who saw that you refuse to release souls who aren't even happy staying here anymore!" Jungkook shouted, remembering the souls locked and pressed together just above their heads.

"I don't need to release anyone, the Pavilion of Light is not a prison!" Seokjin shouted back.

"Let me doubt it," Jungkook quipped before showing Bae : "you stopped him from leaving for so long and he's as cold as ice, I'm sure it's abnormal!"

Bae lowered his head.

"What did you just say?!" Seokjin asked Jungkook, perplexed.

Jungkook wondered what surprised him. Had he never noticed that the little boy didn't have a normal body temperature? He had a hard time believing it.

"He is cold. Like really cold," he clarified, in case Seokjin didn't take him seriously.

"Hyung, I think Jungkook's magic is different from yours," Bae said to Seokjin, "he felt the light in my soul is going out when you didn't."

"What?" Seokjin said eyes wide with surprise behind his mask.

"Eh?" Jungkook said at the same time.

So like that, he perceived things about souls that Seokjin didn't perceive? How was this possible? He turned to Seokjin, thinking he would be intrigued too, but the other boy was more preoccupied with something else at the moment and didn't pay him any attention, focusing on Bae.

"Bae, what do you mean  the light in your soul is going out ?" Seokjin asked with a trembling voice.

But the truth was not difficult to understand once it was exposed.

"I've been dead a long time hyung, and souls don't stay in the world of the living forever," Bae said, "I have felt for some time that the warmth in my soul is diminishing and I was getting cold. I... I don't know what will ultimately happen to me if I stay here," he finished in his thin voice which showed his fear.