𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 - 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠

BLOOD

Jisung awoke in an unfamiliar room. The stone floor beneath him was cold, as was the air surrounding him. He could just barely make out distant candlelight from what he only assumed could be a door to the hallway.

He'd heard stories of a place such as this – of weary travellers stopping to rest or villagers being taken from their homes, most never to return. Very few had come back from what they described as "the palace of the Prince of Darkness", and all who returned were changed in some essential way. Something had been taken from them. There was no light behind their eyes.

This is where I die, Jisung thought. He clutched the rosary in his pocket and began to pray, pleading with God that he would not be forgotten like the other missing boys from his village, that he would be permitted into heaven, that he would not suffer for long before meeting his creator. He resigned himself to the idea of death, and he shut his eyes tight as he removed the rosary from his pocket and desperately held it between both hands. He kneeled to pray and fought back tears, begging God that his family would be okay without him.

"Praying won't help you here," a voice spoke from the shadows.

Jisung looked up and scanned the room. He could see nothing but the faint light in the hallway. "I believe God will protect me," Jisung stated, feigning courage when he felt absolutely terrified.

Footsteps against the stone floor grew louder as the source of the voice approached Jisung. He felt a cold hand touch his jaw, gently angling his head upward before resting against the side of his neck.

With no warning, candles mounted on the wall lining the perimeter of the room all sparked to life at once. Jisung shouted and nearly jumped away in fear, but he could not depart from the stranger's touch.

Now that the room was illuminated, he finally got a chance to look at his captor. He stared up at a man who was really rather beautiful– dark hair a stark contrast from his fair skin and brilliant red lips. His eyes burned with a certain intensity that made Jisung feel small under his gaze.

"Get rid of the rosary," the man commanded.

Jisung looked at the beads in his hand and back up at the man standing before him. Was it not blasphemous to treat something so important as a holy rosary in such a poor manner? The idea of blasphemy was the least of Jisung's worries when he met the strange man's eyes once again. He flung the rosary off into the room somewhere, listening to it clatter across the floor.

"Good boy," the stranger said. "You won't be needing that anymore. There is no God within these walls. So stand up, because if you're on your knees I can assure you it will not be to pray."

Jisung did as he was told, awkwardly clambering to his feet. The man was still a decent amount taller than Jisung, but by now Jisung was more curious than he was frightened.

He frowned. "Have you brought me here to kill me?" Jisung asked. "I can only assume that's what happened to the others from my village. Where else could they have gone but here?"

"I haven't brought you here to die," the man said nonchalantly, "I'm simply in need of some entertainment. It gets awfully lonely and boring out here all alone. Amuse me."

Jisung scowled and asked, "And why should I do that?"

"Because you want to go home."

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