Ethereal Euphoria- J.JK

2-Vision of Ecstasy

Chapter 2

In the dimly lit chambers of the demon castle, Prince Jungkook sat alone, surrounded by shadows that mirrored the turmoil within him. He hated everything, he hated the greyness of his whole life, the disgusting screams of burning souls, the ash rains, the Sulphur everywhere, the fields and fields of bones and skulls, the hellfire...........oh how he longed to have some beauty in his world......how he longed his world to be like the earthly world........with fresh oxygen to breath, no Sulphur, with flowers, fruits, plants, so many pretty little things. Even........even his mother was from earth......

'I wish my life was pretty' a tiny thought resurfaced......it was a wish he made when he was a young child. He wished his world was happy, not full of screams from the dead, and burning souls that he fed on.

He crumbled the silk spread on his bed between his fingers and let his eyes wander around his chamber.......sure it looked like a prince's chamber alright.......but it was morally grey and black......all depressing and sad. While his eyes met themselves in the large mirror, he caught a glimpse of his own brown eyes, the only thing that wasn't grey. He started at his scarlet wings that were heaved down with his thoughts. Suddenly, as he was still staring in the mirror, his gaze caught something on the shelf............a dusty grey rock?

Obsidian? No.

He got up and walked towards the little thing that sat on display in his room...

Jungkook let a soft smile play on his face as he remembered it. He traced his fingers along the surface of a seemingly ordinary rock......this wasn't from hell. This piece of carved rock was from the wonder world of his mother.

Memories flashed like ethereal specters in his mind. As a child, he had seen his mother, Lillith, a witch who couldn't bear the horrors of Hell, use her magic to infuse life into the crystal. It glowed with enchantment every time his mother touched it, a delicate dance of energy that connected the realms.

However, with Lillith's demise, the crystal lost its luster and became a grey rock. The enchantment drained away, stripped of the magic that sustained it. Jungkook, even as a baby, had witnessed the transformation. He had seen the way that the transparent diamond glowed pink, blue, orange, and all the holy colors of the earth. He had seen it become charm as it was glued to Satan's crown. It glowed just like the Koh-I-Noor but with 10 times sheen. The crystal was the prettiest thing anyone in the whole realm had seen, a mere gift from Lillith. But when Jungkook was still a little demon who didn't even know how to fly, his mother Lillith, succumbed to Hell's horrors, and died, and so did her magic that kept hell together. After her death, the crystal that always had baby Jungkook's attention turned bland due to the loss of magic, not to mention his father who just straight up tossed his crown, left his son, and disappeared.

Years passed, and as Jungkook grew, so did the weight of his realization. The castle, once vibrant with echoes of enchantment, now stood as a silent testimony to the void left by his mother's absence. His father's decision to abandon him in this desolate place echoed with the unspoken truth: it was a consequence of Lillith's departure.

Now at the age of 7800 (human age 20), he cradled the rock in his hands and felt heavy with the weight of untold stories. Jungkook's eyes traced its surface, his mind connecting the dots that had eluded him for so long. He remembered the glow, the warmth that emanated from the crystal when Lillith breathed life into it. And he remembered the moment it turned black, its magic extinguished.

This crystal was connected to life, the life of his mother, the life of hell. It wasn't just a random artifact; it was a lifeline, a tether between Hell and Earth, sustained by his mother's magic. And with her gone, it withered into insignificance.

Out of the blue, Minister Kim's words came crawling back to his mind- "it's not him who refuses to sit, it's the throne that refuses to accept him."

Did he mean the throne? Or did he mean magic? Does the magic refuse him? It's stupid to think that a king would just fuck his whole kingdom and leave for thousands of years because of the death of his wife......if something is keeping him away from his rule...then what? And why? Something that the most powerful source of the universe couldn't fight? If only he and his father did not have the chemistry of baking soda and vinegar.... maybe he could approach his father and ask what the fuck his problem was.

As Jungkook sat in the quiet chambers, a seed of determination sprouted within him. A tasteless guess took root in his mind. Maybe, just maybe, if he could somehow restore the power to the crystal, he could bridge the gap that separated Hell from its lost vitality. Was it that crystal? Did the crystal banish Satan from his own rule? Jungkook couldn't ignore the flicker of hope that kindled within him...this crystal belonged to his mother, and he was gonna fix its powers, whether his father came back or not, he needed this crystal back into glow, he needed it to become enchanted again............he needed the last remains of his mother.

He curled up and let his wings cover him while cradling the rock on his chest......something he last did when he was a toddler and missed his mother. He hugged the grey rock again, drowning in the little memories he had of his beautiful mother.

~_._._~

In the silence of his slumber, Prince Jungkook found himself standing on the edge of a dreamscape. The air felt thick with anticipation as a surreal panorama unfolded around him, painting the canvas of his subconscious.

Above, an ethereal symbol materialized in his dream — a globe, suspended like a luminescent moon, radiating with interconnected lines that pulsed like veins. Beneath it, a lantern flickered, casting a warm glow that rippled through the astral currents. And at the center, a sword stood, its gleaming blade an embodiment of strength and restoration.

Jungkook, mesmerized by the celestial display, felt the resonance of each symbol echoing within him. It wasn't just a dream; it was a proclamation, a symphony of symbols orchestrating a profound message........ it was a vision...

As he stood there, captivated by the symbols that swirled above, a voice, ancient and wise, one he had never heard before, echoed in his mind. "Jungkook, it is time. Only you can restore what has been lost."

The words vibrated through him, the dream holding him in a grip he couldn't break. He tried to wake up, to escape his horrifying dream, but the dream held him firm as if the very fabric of reality had merged with the visions playing out before him.

The voice continued, "Seek the earthly realm, where the symbols guide you. An archive, hidden but holding the key to Hell's restoration."

The prince woke up with a startling jolt, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. His whole body was covered in sweat as his chest heaved up and down with each breath. '.... calm down it was just a dream' the boy thought to himself ignoring the fact that demons never get dreams, they make them. Who had the audacity to put the royal prince of hell through a dream?!

Jungkook ruffled his black, sweaty hair and grimaced at the wrinkled silk beneath him.

'I should take a shower' he thought, and tossed the not-obsidian-Lillith-lost magic-once crystal-rock on his bed and watched it bounce twice then sink into the mattress.

After the profound dream and with the guidance from the symbols, Jungkook feels an undeniable pull from the earthly realm. It's as if the cosmic forces have intertwined with the tangible world, urging him to follow the path laid out in his visions. The symbols, attached to his mind, act as a celestial compass, directing him toward the earthly archive where answers await.