Chapter 2: An Unwelcome Reunion

The grand dining hall of the Ethiopia kingdom was a testament to power and nobility, filled with gilded walls and flickering candlelight. The long, polished table, adorned with plates of feasts fit for kings, was quiet except for the clinking of cutlery — that is until Jungkook's mother decided to break the tense silence.

“Good evening, everyone,” she said brightly, her smile infectious but her eyes flickering with unease. “I have great news!”

Jungkook barely registered her words, his plate untouched since dinner had been served. The boy felt like a ghost, trapped in a world where he was expected to play a part he no longer wanted. Plagued by thoughts of Taehyung, he found it hard to focus on anything but the growing darkness within him.

“What’s your great news, my dear?” King Jeon asked, his voice deep and commanding. The room shifted its attention to his wife, curious about what could bring joy to their otherwise muted dinner.

“I’ve finally convinced the Kim family that Prince Taehyung must come and visit us!” she exclaimed, her enthusiasm ringing against the walls of the grand hall.

Lira, Aunt to Jungkook and a skeptic by nature, gasped, “You mean the prince from the Heart’s Kingdom? But… I thought he was dead. How on Earth did you manage to contact them? They have been silent for years!”

Jungkook wanted to slip under the table, away from this conversation. The very mention of Taehyung's name caused a twisting sensation in his gut.

“As it turns out,” Jungkook's mother replied, her voice softer now but edged with sadness, “I had a dream last night in which Queen Raphael told me they would come to visit us next week.”

Laughter erupted from around the table, echoing off the high ceilings. Jungkook felt his heart sink. A dream? Was that all it took to put hope in their hearts? Lira’s daughter, Lisa, chimed in with a cynical twist to her lips, “And what if this dream is just wishful thinking? You’ve thought of their return many times before, and yet here we are.”

Jungkook’s mother fell silent, hurt etched across her face. King Jeon, noticing her discomfort, cleared his throat. “I think we all need to remember, dear queen, that you are overworked,” he suggested diplomatically, attempting to ease the situation. “You’ve been under tremendous pressure lately.”

With a fierce gaze, Jungkook’s mother shot back, “You may think it’s funny, but it’s not. I’m telling you he’s coming, and I refuse to have my powers disrespected. If Prince Taehyung is not welcomed properly into this kingdom, you all will learn my wrath!”

The tension in the room thickened, an electric buzz of uncertainty as her pointed gaze fell on Jungkook. “And that goes especially for you, Jeon Jungkook.”

Jungkook inhaled sharply, his appetite for dinner all but extinguished. “I don’t care what visitor shows up,” he muttered, his tone void of emotion. “But if it’s Taehyung, I don’t want to see him.”

His mother’s expression hardened. “You can’t speak of him like that, Jungkook. He is royalty!”

“Royalty who was taken away from me!” Jungkook shot back, the temperature in the room dropping as anger swirled within him. “You know that if he comes back, something terrible will happen. I can’t undo the future, and I refuse to be a part of it!”

The table fell silent, the remaining servings of food becoming a mere backdrop for the seeping tension. Jungkook's heart raced as he held his mother's stare, a duel of wills steeped in unspoken pain.

Jungkook's mother, unable to contain her fury, stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the marble floor. “If you think I’ll let you treat him like an outsider, you’re sorely mistaken!”

With that, she swept from the table, her presence leaving behind a storm of anxiety. The echoes of her anger hung in the air, suffocating and chilling. Jungkook’s heart sank; he felt the weight of the kingdom's expectations heavy upon his shoulders.

Later that night, alone in his chamber, Jungkook sought solace in smoke. He lit a small candle and pulled out a pack of tobacco, a familiar ritual that once calmed him, though it felt hollow now. With each drag, he inhaled the swirling thoughts and emotions, trying to extinguish the wildfire within. Yet that only amplified the darkness.

His reflection in the mirror was a ghost of himself; once vibrant, now dulled by despair. Suddenly, the darkness thickened, swirling around him, and he sensed the shift. His eyes glowed an ominous red, and he braced himself against the wall as a sinister laughter filled the small chamber.

“Ah, Jungkook!” his other self teased, stepping forth from the shadows, grinning wickedly. “The beautiful missing prince returns, does he? How does it feel, my friend? Our family certainly knows how to cheer us up!”

“What do you want?” Jungkook growled, anger lacing his voice. “I’m not in the mood for your games.”

The apparition only laughed louder, relishing in Jungkook’s frustration. “Oh, but you know I’m not going anywhere. We’re one, you and I. And you cannot escape me.”

In a fit of desperation, Jungkook grabbed a knife from the dresser and drove the blade against his neck. “Leave me alone!” he shouted, tears blurring his vision. “Just leave me alone, even for a minute!”

A cold chuckle echoed in the room, chilling him to the bone. “You can’t harm me, Jungkook. I am you, remember?” he taunted, his form flickering like a flame.

Jungkook felt the sting of the blade but was met with a strange sensation that nothing pierced his skin, as if an invisible barrier protected him. Tears streamed down his face, a mixture of agony and anger pouring from his soul.

“Why won’t you just let me be?!” he cried, collapsing against the wall, the knife falling from his hand. “I can’t take this anymore!”

“Ah, but this is the chaos of your heart, Jungkook,” his other self said, his tone turning mocking yet intimate. “How can you ever believe you can run from it? Especially not with Taehyung drawing closer. You’re terrified, aren’t you?”

As darkness swallowed the room, Jungkook cradled his head in his hands, the weight of it all crashing down. “No… I can’t…I don’t want him back. Not like this. I can’t bear to see him suffer because of me.”

“Face the truth, Jungkook,” the shadow said darkly, leaning closer. “You’re lost in your anger and fear. But you know you can’t escape the future. Taehyung is coming, whether you like it or not.”

Jungkook slammed his fist against the floor, desperate for release, for clarity, but the visions of his cursed future only danced mockingly on the edges of his mind. “Get out,” he pleaded weakly. “Just leave me alone.”

But in that moment, he realized he was not simply battling the past but confronting the shadow of what he would become. A tide of emotions washed over him as desperation surged, and he finally let it out — a heart-wrenching, echoing sob that resonated through the emptiness of his chamber.

“What have I become?” he whispered into the stillness, wishing for peace, for the boy who used to find joy in the sun’s warmth beside his beloved cousin. But in this darkness, all he could grasp were the memories, distorted and aching, and the chilling reminder of what loomed near.

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