Land of Yīnyuè (音樂)

Stage One: Abandonment 放棄

"I didn't do it!" Screeched out the man on the ground, his eyes frantic, wide, horrified as he struggled against the iron grip of the guards. The once silk like hair became strands of hay as his red robes were replaced with white rags. "I didn't do it!" The lingering question of, 'don't you believe me?' Was itched painfully in the air as the emperor stared at the small figure kneeling on the ground. Dirt and disgrace staining his body.

"The evidence provided shows that you. That you were the one that committed the murder. Of the late empress." A heavy gulp of air was swallowed as the emperor felt dizzy, his body swaying slightly as he picked up the brush and dipped it in shadowy black ink. "This contributes to the series of crimes that you have been involved in." The undertone of, 'I can't protect you anymore' stung the man on the ground. His eyes wide as his head shot up, horror coating his face before it was shoved to the ground by a guard. "By royal decree. Of committing treason. And murder of the late empress. You are sentenced," a desperate gasp of air was taken by the emperor as he placed down the calligraphy brush after painting the punishment on the yellowed paper. A jade stamp dipped in dripping crimson ink fell to the table before being landing on the paper, making it official. "To exile."

"Yoongi!" Cried out Jimin as he begged, sobbed with his whole mind, trying to reach out to the figure that once made his life whole. The chains burning marks onto his skin, the guards keeping him pressed to the ground as he watched with tear flooded eyes as the one he once called lover stand up.

"You will have three days. Your servants will be removed. Guards will follow you and escort you when the time comes." Breathed out the emperor. "Never - never step into the Empire of the Great Qing again." The struggling of Jimin was useless as he cried pathetically as the guards pulled his hair up, causing his eyes to gaze up at Yoongi, just to see him looking down at him. "Or it will be your death."

The sensation of horror and terror drenched Jimin as he was dragged to what used to be his living quarters. Escorted - but more like ripped away - from the grand hall that was coated in gold and red, where he would once stand proudly next to his emperor as his trusted adviser in public and as his lover in private. The feelings that bubbled in Jimin made him want to puke. There were only a few jade items left in the room, the rest taken back by Yoongi, just to be given to his 'favourite consort'. It was a disgusting feeling that Jimin felt as two wooden crates were handed to him by a guard.

"It'll be okay," muttered out Hoseok as he unlocked the crates before wandering around the room, picking up the few jade items that were scattered around the room before placing it into the crates. It was so hallow. The bright red walls dimmed down to a muted burgundy colour, the sparkling gold reduced to sickening bronze. The once beautiful golden tables were all replaced with rotting wood. "I know it wasn't you. Namjoon will look into, and then you can come back. And everything will be back to normal. And then we can live like how we used to. And it will be okay."

"It's not that simple," whispered out Jimin as he sat on the cold marble floor, his legs giving out as he gripped onto the prisoner's rags that covered his body. Doing nothing to protect him from the bitter cold autumn air. "I didn't do it. We both know that. I could never. But they think I killed his mother! They found a suspect! They will cling to it. I know it!" Despair was already drowning him as Jimin felt his body shiver. "I'm innocent. But where is the proof?"

Three days passed by. No signs of Hoseok, no signs of Namjoon as Jimin laid in his cage of a room - trapped, with only the shadowed faces of unfamiliar guards. Waiting to be escorted away, banished, exiled into the wild with two crates of what is left of his life. 'Forsaken and forgotten', the characters were etched into his mind as he sat before the empty wooden desk, carving the words over and over again with his blunted and damaged nails. Waiting, still waiting, always waiting.

And when it was time, there were no familiar faces. But what else was to be expected. The remembrance of the shock that drenched Yoongi as he watch Jimin be dragged up to the hall in the branded white rags was etched into Jimin's mind. No words were spoken as Jimin glanced up to the figure that stood by the doors of his cage, the metal gear they wore creating clanking sounds as they approached Jimin.

No words were required, no words were exchanged as the guard nodded his head, the royal decree from the emperor in his steady hands as Jimin laughed lightly, dragging his body away from the carved and chipped table. It was destroyed - the piece of furniture.

Leaving the palace was more like public humiliation as Jimin strolled through the garden paths, with many of the servants whispering under their breaths of all the rumours and stories they've heard. The robes he wore were crinkled and brown and his once long hair was chopped all the way to his ears, unable to cover his eyes.

At a steady beat, Jimin walked past the first set of gates, a lump forming in his throat as he felt the sudden urge to fall to the ground, his legs becoming weak as thoughts of what would become of him attacked his mind. Thoughts of who would be with Yoongi during those thunderous nights attacked his mind. Thoughts of who would replace him filled his mind. Thoughts of who framed him filled his mind as he gazed at his stop, the carriage so plain and broken - nothing to what he was brought up with. The crates were already loaded as he climbed up, his eyes watering as the wood splinters dug into his flesh.

Glancing back, there was still no sign of anyone.

Yoongi.

Hoseok.

Namjoon.

There was no one, only him left to face the world. All because of a crime that he never committed. The crime that will be passed down in form of a royal decree written by who he thought could and would trust him. By someone who Jimin thought would allow him to say something, to defend himself - not to just throw him away. Years, from childhood to adulthood, has been wasted, on a love that seemed too weak to survive in the royal courts.

Because on the royal decree, it stated:

"The case of murder of her highness, the late empress Min Cíxǐ Tàihòu, has been closed. Evidence has been supplied to show that royal adviser Park Jimin has been involved in orchestrating the death of the late empress. This investigation has continued on for a week and is now drawn to an end. The conclusion being that Park Jimin has been sent to a lifetime of exile - never is he to set foot in the Empire of the Great Qing or his life will be forfeited."

It hurt so much.