On The Run || JJK ✔️

44 - The Opposition

What is this stuff?

Jimin tugs on the black in the air. There is no other way to describe it, just darkness, velvet-like, the kind of thing you'd find only in the darkest forbidden corners of evil.

He thinks of J-Hope. Which would make sense, but...

It's him, and yet it isn't, as though someone had taken a quick sketch that had his features but nothing was quite right. Jimin let the airy substance slip through his fingers and it seemed to sigh in intense despair in his hands. He sympathizes with it. He understands the pain, the disbelief, the repressed memories, hiding who he really was just to survive...

This was the emotion that once weakened him. And now he must use it to escape.

Hesitantly he draws it in. The imitation power within him wakes up and the shadow slides over his hand like a glove. He nods to himself, satisfied, and with renewed urgency he finds the feeble strength within him to stand up. His muscles ache and he has to lean against the wall, take deep breaths in, out...

"-****ing stupid! Where's Jerome when you need him?"

"Why do we need Jerome?

"He's a light elementalist, you idiot!"

Everything is pitch black, like a solid fog had settled amongst them. The guards are freaking out at this foreign power, the Commander is fuming with rage somewhere on ground level, the principal just slammed his hand against the dark oak table in his office miles way, and yet somewhere in the quiet corner of a cell Jimin is befriending it, imitating the strength it carries.

"I heard my name?"

"JEROME! You always take forever. Get over here and give us some light."

A beam of it turns on, assumingly powered by Jerome. Jimin finds it blinding.

"Finally. Now we just need to tell the Commander what's happening."

"Jerome, get that light over here."

The beam of light sweeps across the walls and cell doors of the place as they walk. It illuminates the unkempt inmates, the hopeless forms of all the students who once rebelled and failed...

"Why's that cell empty?"

"I don't know."

They stop right in front of Jimin's cell. Jimin stands incredibly still as the guard who asked the question - Jerome, probably - stares straight at him. The other guard scans the cell top to bottom. Left to right. Nothing. Then he goes to check the monitor system.

Jimin is just as confused as them.

He looks down at himself and, to his wonder, he realizes that the shadow has slipped over him, rendering him invisible. It's protecting him by hiding him. It seemed to have found comfort in their mutual despair so it decided to hold on, which was sad in a beautiful way.

But there's hope now.

"Jerome, do you sense anything?" The guard is back from the monitor. "Anybody imitating you?"

"Uh, no? What do you mean if I sense anything, like what am I, like Sherlock Holmes or something like-?"

"What- no! I mean do you sense anyone else who's also using the light elemental?"

Jimin creeps closer to the cell door so he's standing nearly right in front of them. All they have to do is unlock it and Jimin can slip away without them noticing.

"Why would anyone else be using the light elemental?"

"Jerome, you IDIOT!" Jimin watches the guard facepalm and then pinch his nose in frustration. "The guy who's supposed to be in this cell is Jimin. Remember? The guy with the imitation powers?"