|THE CURSED FOREST|

52

The night of 25 November, 2023
|When Yeonjun and Taehyung died|

In the dark night, heavy footsteps echoed through the night, slowly getting louder and louder. As they drew closer to where Taehyung's dead body was buried, the atmosphere thickened with an unspoken dread. The man's long, sharp fingernails scraped against the soil as he knelt to the ground, a chill racing down his spine as he felt the spot where Taehyung's body lay buried. He could almost feel the presence of death in the air.

"He will live again but his identity will never be the same again." The deep voice reverberated through the air as he spoke. His dragon-like eyes shining with arrogance.

Namjoon carefully unearthed Taehyung's lifeless body, its skin ashen and devoid of color, a haunting testament to the absence of blood that once coursed through his veins. He scanned his neck carefully to finally see the bite mark of Yeonjun.

"Death in a violent way, by a vampire bite." Namjoon smirked, placing his fingers over the bite mark of Taehyung.

"Enough reason to resurrect him." With that he closed his eyes chanting in a low whisper.

Namjoon's mystical energy revives Taehyung, bringing him back to life. With a gasp, Taehyung opens his eyes, breathing heavily.

Back in Namjoon's fort, Taehyung, weak and drained, stares out of the window, and the room holds an unspoken tension of the extraordinary forces at play.

"What happened to me? I died..." Taehyung stuttered weakly,

"And now alive." Namjoon scoffed while walking towards Taehyung.

"How did you bring me back?" Taehyung asked,

"I have the powers of a soul vampire within me. I can bring back any human who died violently, resurrecting their souls without disrupting the flow of time." Namjoon explained, "You wanted to be a vampire, didn't you... but my dear your plan of mixing dead human blood with yours would just kill you and won't make you a vampire."

"Then you make me a vampire." Taehyung groaned in desperation,

"Do you know there is a curse to vampires, except me and Sunghoon, that they will disintegrate from this universe after 91 days?" Namjoon asked, getting amused at his desperation, "You still want to be a vampire?"

"You are the leader, the strongest vampire. You must have a way to uplift that curse too." Taehyung scoffed weakly, earning a smile from Namjoon.

"There is. Sacrifice or remove the source of the hurt which caused the curse. These are the only ones that everyone knows but there is another way too."

"What is it?"

"Soul fusion."

Taehyung's eyebrows furrowed as he waited for him to continue.

"Soul fusion is done to merge two souls into a single entity, stronger and with enhanced powers." Namjoon explained, "With that you are devoid of the curse."

"So you will merge my soul with?" Taehyung asked curiosly,

"A new soul vampire. Probably your mentee."

•••

Outside the Get Well Soon hospital, Hyunjin stepped out of the cab, the brisk wind tousling his hair as he took out his luggage.

His eyes scanned the surroundings, and there, amidst the crowd, he locked eyes with a tall, enigmatic figure.

The stranger's smirk sent a shiver down Hyunjin's spine, and before he could react, Namjoon's piercing gaze seemed to pierce through him. It was as if a magnetic force compelled him to follow.