Briar Rose - Taekook

Chapter 20

ⅩⅩ: Taehyung

Everything hurts.

My skin, my bones, my wings, even the roots of my hair. My body doesn't feel like my own anymore. I want to scream. All I can manage is a groan.

Where am I? What happened to me?

Flashes of it come back. The specters. The fire. The fall. Then the darkness penetrating my mind. The monster taking over. I still remember how it laughed as it took control, and how it felt like I was suffocating. It killed every last specter here, that I know for certain. I don't know whether to laugh or cry or rage. I was just as weak as before. I couldn't stop it.

I drag my eyes open, wincing at the light that suddenly enters my vision. The sky above is still dark, though I can see the last stars blinking away in a cloud of navy blue. Dawn is only a rumor in the horizon, its rosy tendrils reaching out almost tentatively, as if afraid to wash away the darkness that took place last night. I don't blame it.

Grimacing, I heave myself up on my elbows, gritting my teeth against the sharp stabbing pain that spreads through my body. I have to get up. I have to go back. I don't know what kinds of havoc the monster caused, but its left me tired, and sore to the bone. The wound on my arm burns beneath my shirt, and I know that it needs medical attention as soon as possible. But to get to Jin, I first have to go back to the door. And that's no easy task when I can barely sit up.

Finally, I decide to prop myself on my knees, then work my way up. As soon as my arms leave the ground, my vision swoops, and I almost fall back down. The ground lurches beneath my feet, and I clutch at my head as a ferocious headache takes over.

Once the headache starts to recede, I force myself to take in my surroundings. Almost all the buildings around me are on fire, their roofs burned down and walls barely standing. There are no humans in sight, but I doubt that that's because everyone was out of town during the attack. Any sign of vegetation has been wiped away, replaced instead by ash and the blackened trunks of trees. I shudder to think what would have happened if the monster was left loose in central London.

You're lucky I saved you in time, A voice echoes in my head, and I'm too tired to even cuss. You're lucky that I took control and killed every single shadow demon in London. Without me, you would have died.

You set all the houses on fire. You destroyed this part of London. I say, hands clenching. Why would I thank you when you took the lives of so many innocent people?

All necessary sacrifices, the voice answers casually. They needed to die to be part of something even greater. Don't misunderstand me, Taehyung. I'm not all evil. I don't kill for no reason. I simply don't need much of a reason.

You sick bastard, I growl. The only response I get is dark laughter. Nevertheless, the voice continues. I have a gift for you. A parting gift, if you may. Until the next time we meet.

I don't want your gift. And I certainly don't want to hear from you ever again. I mutter, and the voice scoffs. Oh please. How do you expect to get back to Hyde Park in your state? You need some extra strength in your wings. And I'll give it to you whether you want it or not.

All of a sudden, I feel a newfound power coursing through my veins, chasing away the last remnants of the headache. My wings feel lighter than before, and when I give them an experimental flap, they lift me off the ground with minimal strain. It felt like someone had tapped into some unknown power reserve of mine and emptied it to give me strength. If this wasn't a present from the monster, I would have been delighted.

I sensed that the devil inside of me was dormant again, but it had left a sour taste in my mouth. There was no knowing when he might appear again.