Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Life was great.

At least that was what Jay told himself often lately.

He didn’t have much to complain about - they saved the kingdom, Sunghoon woke up at last and he himself was about to assume the crown. Something he was preparing for the better part of his life.

Everything was well, he even got over the fact that his father had died.

So why didn’t it all feel great?

“What got into your head now?” Sunghoon asked sleepily, turning around in their bed to face Jay. 

‘’How did you even know I was awake?” Jay responded with, opting to avoid the question and hope that the other would simply go with it.

Sunghoon snorted as he grabbed Jay’s hand. The difference in their temperatures was so big that it made the soon-to-be king shiver.

‘’When you get lost in thought, your temperature starts rising and since we share the bed, it’s pretty obvious.’’ The boy explained, moving Jay’s hair out of his eyes. ‘’So you’re going to tell me what’s bothering you or should I ask Heeseung to take a peek into your stubborn skull?”

‘’How can you be so mean even in the middle of the night?” Jay sighed, shaking his head slightly, doing his best to rein in the heat - now that Sunghoon didn’t have his powers he couldn’t regulate the temperature as he did previously. 

‘’I am a man of many talents.’’ The latter responded, moving to be a bit closer to his boyfriend. ‘’If you don’t want to talk about it we don’t have to. I can just stay up with you.’’

The proposition made Jay’s eyebrows furrow.

‘’No way. You have a training session with the guards in the morning.’’ He argued, face quickly turning to appalled at the idea. ‘’Just go back to sleep.’’

‘’You do realise that this wouldn’t be the first time I have gotten through a day only on a few hours of sleep, right?” Sunghoon asked, raising on his elbow to stare at Jay as if he had grown a new head. ‘’I bet everyone in this castle has done it before. And you have been doing it for some time now too.’’

‘’Yeah, but you don’t have to do it. It’s just my stupid brain which I can’t turn off.’’ Jay groaned into his pillow. ‘’I wish I could just snap my fingers and all the thoughts begone.’’

Sunghoon chuckled. ‘’Is that your way of asking me to knock you out?” The male asked with a smirk, releasing a full on laugh when the prince only grumbled before nodding. ‘’Sorry, I think they’d throw me in jail or something.’’

‘’They wouldn’t dare.’’ He mumbled. ‘’Not only are you the boyfriend of a future King, but I also hereby announce you as the court king-puncher. Now you should fulfill your duty.’’ 

‘’You truly have the weirdest ideas when tired.’’ The younger pointed out before shuffling even closer and moving Jay’s head to his chest, right over his heart. In the past three months both of them found out that the steady beats helped to calm him down. ‘’It would be a shame to bruise your pretty face. Who would charm the court then?”

This time it was Jay’s turn to snort. ‘’You of course. People around here love you already, even though it’s me they’ve known for years.’’ 

‘’We both know it would be different had I still had my powers.’’ Sunghoon pointed out, voice going a bit quiet. Jay wanted to respond that it was not the case, but then - who would he be kidding.

People were still scared of magic, even after it saved all of their lives. All because it started with magic to begin with. That was actually one of Jay’s many worries - he had ancient powers flowing through his veins, but he was actively hiding them from the people he was supposed to rule, afraid of how they would react.

He had seen it first hand with Sunghoon - the stares, uncomfortable questions. At first they treated him like he had some type of disease, until they found out he lost his powers to save the kingdom. Although it didn’t help to stop them from wondering why exactly he was being kept there, in Jay’s court.

Everyone wondered why he wasn’t just sent away with money or his own residence, maybe even some kind of title. They started saying the two of them shared a strong friendship and everytime someone mentioned romance - they instantly shot the idea down.

Jay was soon supposed to be king. There was no way he would busy himself with developing a relationship that was meant to be doomed from the very start.

And the worst thing - the difference of their statuses was only the tip of the iceberg.

Lately, Jay has been having dreams - nightmares, to put it simply.

The first one caught him entirely off-guard due to it being unusually vivid.

Jay was back in the village where they almost burned him, standing right before the stake, which didn’t move even an inch. The mere sight made a shiver travel down his spine. With fear settled deep in his gut he looked down and to his surprise noticed he wasn’t chained.

No, he was standing there, wearing the royal robes, feeling the weight of the golden crown resting on his head.

‘’What’s going on?” Jay whispered to himself, his voice barely audible due to the chanting of the crowd.

They were yelling for the stake to be already lit up.

He looked around wildly, searching for anything that could tell him what exactly he was doing there. He wanted to move, but it seemed as if his feet were glued to the stone, prohibiting him any movement. He was simply forced to stand there, in front of the stake.

Just as panic started creeping in, suddenly the crowd started yelling insults and throwing things at the person who was being led towards the stake with their head down. All Jay could see was the dark mop of hair, clothes all ripped and dirty, the skin of their arms and legs all bruised. 

‘What have they done?’ The prince asked himself, noticing how the heavy chains around the person’s ankles and wrists turned all red.

They moved them to the middle of the stake, making quick work of tying them to the pole all the while the person kept their head hung low. Soon, they were the only person left standing on the almost impossibly tall stack of wood.

‘’Dear friends! We have gathered here today to burn someone we thought we could trust, but turned out they never were on our side.’’ The man who was speaking had a cruel smirk on his face. ‘’But it’s all well since today he will atone for using magic against his own kin!”

Suddenly the man turned towards Jay and bowed quickly, turning humble in a span of a few seconds. ‘’Of course, it’s all thanks to our King. He was the one who brought this man’s misdeeds to our attention!” The man clapped as if it was the best thing he ever had the opportunity to say, the crowd going wild with approval. ‘’This is the King we have all been waiting for! Ready to protect his people from the evil of magic, even at the cost of his own family.’’

These words made his head snap back to the stake, this time locking eyes with the man chained there. It was Heeseung - he looked the worst Jay had ever seen him, but there was unmistakable hatred burning in his eyes as he stared at the King.

Heeseung was there because of him? Why in the world would he reveal his powers to the world? And why would Jay ever condemn him because of it?

One of his main goals after becoming King was to get rid of the Magic District and let all the people from there go free. So why was this man saying Jay was protecting citizens from them?

‘’Looking as you used to be our prince, we will give you time to say some words.’’ The man said to Heeseung, but his words dripped with disgust. ‘’We can only do so much for the person you used to be before the girl corrupted you into becoming a monster like her.’’

A sad smile appeared on Heeseung’s face, his eyes still locked onto Jay.

‘’If you want to call my connection with Victoria corruption, feel free to do so. I don’t regret anything. Or well - almost anything. I regret believing in the King that stands before me now. I thought he could unite magic folk and normal people, but here he is making choices against what he believes.’’ Heeseung said, his voice venomous and stabbing Jay right in the heart. ‘’Freedom was what you stood for, yet here you are, still locked in that cage created by our father. You two are exactly the same, I don’t know why I trusted otherwise. Nothing matters to you besides getting approval.’’

He took a breath in before continuing. ‘’If this is my fate, then so be it. Just know Jay that you are the biggest coward I have ever got to know and that living in a lie will kill you sooner than later, just like it did with Sunghoon.’’ Even though Jay had no idea what the other was hinting at, his breath stuttered. ‘’You killed Victoria, you led mother into insanity, left Sunghoon no choice but to take his own life and now you are going to get rid of me. Once I die, you’re going to be left all alone and then you’ll break, leaving the kingdom in chaos.’’

Jay wanted to say something, but his lips remained shut, only tears welling up in his eyes. He would never do all that, would he? He wanted the best for the kingdom and his loved ones. He would never turn on them no matter what.

He would never sacrifice them for the crown. Right?

‘’Every single of the people you listed weren’t worthy of being by our King’s side. Stop trying to corrupt him too. You’re the personification of evil.’’ The man yelled, before coughing to tame his anger. ‘’It’s time boys.’’

One man with a lit up torch came up to Jay and held it out to him. The King had no power over his body and fear once again gripped him as his fist closed around the stick. Everyone was looking at him expectantly, not even realising he could have lit up the fire without a torch.

Pain blossomed in his chest as he tried to fight his muscles, but it was to no avail. Soon the flames connected with the stake and fire quickly spread, soon consuming Heeseung entirely. 

There was no screaming from him, not even a sound as he slowly burned away. Jay could feel flames licking at his brother’s skin and the pain it caused - it would take almost no effort from him to end it all - put the fire out, but he still didn’t do it.

He just stood there crying amongst the cheering crowd, his heated skin a stark contrast to the coldness of the crown that sat on his head.

That night, Jay woke up with tears streaming down his face and fear in his heart. He looked around his chamber, still feeling the smell of the smoke in the air. Quickly he averted his attention to the body laying next to him - Sunghoon, still there, breathing and apparently still consumed by sleep.

Jay got out of bed as fast as he could without waking his lover and after kissing the other on the forehead, feeling some relief creep into his heart at last before he practically sprinted down the hall towards Heeseung’s chamber, uncaring if someone would see him and think he went insane.

He quietly opened the door, already thinking of some excuses he could tell to Heeseung or Victoria if either of them were awake, but it proved unnecessary since the two were peacefully sleeping, limbs tangled underneath the duvet.

Jay crept up to them just to make sure if they were both okay, intending it to take only a couple of seconds, but by the time he was done checking his brother’s skin for any burn marks and staring at the way their chests slowly went up and down, the time has probably stretched to a good thirty minutes.

Realizing how mad he was acting, Jay quickly shook his head and exited the chamber, fully intending on getting back to his room, but he found himself sitting by a window in the hallway, staring at the stretch of his kingdom disappearing into the horizon.

He tried to tell himself it was only a bad dream, but it felt real.

Too real.

It was as if Destiny was reaching towards him again, showing him the future, but this couldn’t be the truth, right? He’d never betray the ones he loves, even for his own sake. Yet, would he be able to put the love above duty towards his people? It was the one thing he was taught all his life - how to be a good king, not a good brother or boyfriend.

Maybe he should visit Mal-Chin again, but then what would it do for him? He already saw what would happen if he didn't release people from the District. But then would the future be all that better if he did it without any coaxing or if he simply said he had magic himself?

If he were to do that, people would instantly dethrone him and left to rot in the castle’s dungeons.

He always knew life as a King would be complicated, but he never imagined he would find himself on the two sides of a war he didn’t even know he would have to stop.

Jay only got up from the windowsill when the sky was beginning to get brighter, the sun about to start rising, but he still felt at odds with everything. Yet he was aware that if he wouldn’t soon return to his chamber, Sunghoon would wake up and ask questions.

Ones that Jay didn’t really know how to answer.

The next nightmare came only three days later. It was an insanely tiresome day - it was filled with meetings, fittings for new robes and the worst of all - training with Sunghoon. Don’t get him wrong, usually he loved it because he could spend more time with his boyfriend, yet after his previous dream he found it harder to approach the other male.

And there was no hiding the fact that Sunghoon noticed the change, yet chose to remain silent, which proved both to be a blessing and a curse. It was the first one because then Jay didn’t have to dwell on all the things that were eating him alive, but the second one because the other was focusing all his attention and strength on fighting Jay what left him sore for days on end.

And also knocked him out pretty quickly.

That’s why when he got back to their chamber, he quickly washed off the grime and sweat before falling into their bed, succumbing to sleep without a second thought.

A strong wind was blowing, making Jay’s robe flap around loudly and hair enter his eyes.

He was in some weird place.

It seemed everything was white - trees, grass, sky and even the clothes he was wearing. The only exception was a silver river flowing through the middle of the meadow. He slowly approached it, surprised that it didn’t release even a slight sound. The water flowed without any issue, not even a small ripple interrupting its flow.

Yet the longer he stared at it, the more it seemed to call him. Without really thinking he reached out and just as he felt the coldness of the water at his fingertips a scream tore through the air, making Jay turn around quickly.

He came face to face with a terrifying sight.

Right in the middle of the meadow which seemed to have grown bigger, laid a man with blonde hair. Or to put it better, someone Jay assumed to be a man, because his face kept changing. Once it resembled a child and then a second later it was filled with wrinkles. He kept twisting in the dirt, every muscle trembling as he yelled.

Jay made a move to come closer, a shot of fear for this person’s well being suddenly entering his body, but it proved to be harder than expected because felt as if the air suddenly grew thicker and he was moving slower.

‘’Hey!” The King called out, but the man paid no mind as he kept moving, but then it was as if the string was cut and everything stopped.

The man was now lying motionlessly on the ground, blood dripping from his nose as his body seemed to stop aging once and for all around Jay’s own age. Suddenly the air returned to it’s usual density and the King found himself falling to his knees next to the boy.

It was as if Jay could feel the last breath escaping the man’s body and out of nowhere a strong dose of sorrow and grief filled him.

Jay knew nothing about the man, but here he was - the boy’s only companion in his last moments. He had no idea what to do now, his hands awkwardly hovering above the body as if it were to turn into dust.

Before he could come up with a plan, Jay felt the strong wind return, almost knocking him to the ground. He turned around and saw a boy standing on the opposite end of the meadow. The air currents seemed to be focused entirely on the newcomer, tugging at his clothes and throwing him around as if he was being pushed.

A bad feeling shot through Jay’s body as he tried to take a step towards the male, but the wind made it almost impossible to approach the other boy, but he wouldn’t stop trying. For some reason he felt like he had to save him.

Jay took a couple of steps towards the boy with great difficulty before the air currents around the boy grew stronger, now picking up stray branches and rocks, some of them making an impact with the trapped male.

Just as he got close enough that a sharp rock flew just above his head, Jay was pushed back by a strong gust of wind. With fear in his eyes he looked at the boy, who was now staring right at Jay and shaking his head. 

‘’Stop!” The boy yelled, but just as the word escaped his lips, a branch went right through his stomach, causing blood to splatter around the pristinely white grass.

With shock Jay watched as the next few items followed suit until the boy was falling onto the ground, wind completely ceasing. A tear fell down his cheek as he watched the last moves of the other’s chest. The King’s knees trembled as he got up, running across the meadow towards the boy, who looked really familiar, but he didn’t get far before he was interrupted again.

A white vine sprung up from the ground, blocking his way before it dove straight towards Jay at an insane speed, but instead of sending the boy tumbling back with it’s force, it simply curved around him as if he wasn’t there.

He turned around to follow it with his eyes, only to find the vine coiling around another boy’s leg before lifting him into the air. The male rose into the air limply, eyes almost closed as he looked towards Jay.

“Jay.’’ The man whispered barely audibly just as another vine wound tight around his right arm. ‘’Run.’’

Jay had no idea what was happening here, fear and confusion gripping his whole body, but he wouldn’t run. Whoever this man was, Jay’s mind was telling him to help the guy. So Jay acted on it quickly - he summoned his fire, intending to burn the vines, but the moment flames appeared above his palm, he was burned by them.

He looked at the irritated skin of his hand in wonder, never having been burnt before. Why was his power turning against him?

Jay tried once again, but to no avail - this time he wasn’t even able to summon the fire.

He sent the man a distressed glance and noticed that vines coiled tightly around all of his limbs and were tugging in different directions. The man’s eyes bulged out and with a guilty feeling Jay turned his head away, not wanting to be witness of what was about to happen.

A beat later there was a scream which suddenly cut off as Jay heard something wet splatter onto the grass - he had a pretty good idea what it could have been. Especially when the vine returned to where it came from, almost entirely covered in dark blood.

A few tears slipped Jay’s cheeks again as he fought the nausea and feeling of helplessness at the situation he found himself in. When would it all end?

‘’Jay? You alright?” A deep voice coming from somewhere in front of Jay asked, what only made the King realise his eyes had closed.

‘’Yeah.’’ He responded almost breathlessly as he locked eyes with a rather tall male with black hair. Despite the dire circumstances the boy smiled slightly, taking a few steps towards Jay.

He was just about to ask the boy if he knew what was going on here, but as if the universe sensed that, the other twitched, his features twisting before he was falling forwards. On instinct, Jay took the step forward to catch the boy, but no weight fell against him.

Quickly he looked down, only to find a black puma staring at him with yellow eyes, which were filled with pain. Jay reached out to it, but didn’t make contact as suddenly the animal was covered by smoke and by the time it cleared, a duck was standing in front of him.

What was going on?

The smoke appeared once again and this time Jay saw a wolf, then just a few seconds later an eagle, a fish and even a butterfly before the boy came back for a moment. He clearly tried to say something but was interrupted by another transformation which was gaining more and more speed.

He had no idea what to do - even if Jay could still control his own powers, there was no use for them in this situation. The sight of all these beings (or one being?) in pain tugged at Jay’s heart and made him grip his hair in frustration. 

Just as he felt tears of frustration welling up in his eyes he heard a loud, obnoxious laugh coming from somewhere behind him. Jay quickly turned around, but found everything unchanged - besides the splatters of blood on the grass. 

There was nothing.

Not even the bodies of men he saw die.

‘’Who is there?” Jay asked, turning in place, trying to find someone - anyone who could help him decipher what was going on here.

A groan came from the boy and Jay turned to focus on him again, only to feel bile rise in his throat at the sight. Before him laid a pile of goo - or something that resembled it. He could see eyes blinking, muscles spasming and blood pumping through it’s veins, but it was too grotesque to even look at it for longer than a second.

He could see everything - organs, hair - twisting and moving, changing uselessly only to release more wet sounds.

They made Jay kneel over and empty the contents of his stomach onto the grass. It took him a second to recover - to hear the sounds of struggle coming from somewhere on his left.

How many more people would he have to witness dying today?

He turned his head towards the sound, finding a familiar face looking right at him from across the river.

It was Victoria - pinned down by a shadowy figure, who was gripping the first one's neck tightly, clearly depriving her of the very much needed oxygen. Victoria was trying to push the shadow off or twist away, but her hands just went through the creature on top of her as if it was made of air, yet its grip remained tight. 

‘’Too late.’’ Victoria gasped out, face turning from red to purple as Jay quickly sprinted towards her, easily jumping over the silver river. ‘’Get out.’’

It was clear she wanted to say more, but with the limited air was unable to. Just as Jay reached her, intending to try and drag Victoria away or loosen the shadow’s grip on the girl's neck, the creature turned to him, sending him sprawling onto the grass with a solid hit.

He felt determination fill him as he got up again, running towards Victoria again, but before he could come close enough to do something, a sickening crunch resonated through the air and the shadow disappeared.

Jay fell to his knees next to Victoria whose neck was bent at an odd angle, leaving no doubt as to what happened. He shook her, yelled, pleaded, but still Victoria remained there - eyes closed, hand-shaped bruises blooming across the skin of her neck.

Tears were slipping freely down his cheeks as he looked at the girl he grew to care about. Maybe they didn’t talk much but how could this happen? Why would it?

Why her?

The moment that question appeared in his head he heard maniacal laughter come from his right. Jay fought with himself to not look, to just stay where he was until it was all over, until he could escape whatever hell he was trapped in.

But then, what if he was forced to witness people suffering for an eternity while being unable to do anything to prevent it?

The laughter cut through the air sharply and Jay’s muscles moved against his will. Not so far from him, he could see Heeseung. The boy was floating around a meter above the ground, eyes unseeing, bleeding from his ears and lips as he convulsed with laughter.

Still feeling grief and sadness from witnessing so many deaths, Jay moved towards his brother and shook him by the shoulders, but to no avail. The male didn’t even blink.

‘’Heeseung?” Jay asked, tears still slipping down his cheeks as he tried to wake his brother. ‘’Come on, I need help.’’

The male stiffened, but he still didn’t say a word.

‘’I don’t know what’s going on.’’ The younger one continued. ‘’Everyone is dying. A shadow broke Victoria’s neck and I saw a man literally fall apart, but I can’t do anything to prevent it!”

A slow smile took over Heeseung’s features, as if he was imagining everything Jay was telling him and liking it. He opened his mouth, but only an incomprehensible mumble came out, followed by even more laughter.

‘’Heeseung! We need to do something!” Jay tried again and this time his brother sat up in the air, his grey pupil less eyes staring right at the King.

‘’It’s all your fault.’’ He told Jay, giggles interrupting his speech. ‘’YOU’RE THE REASON FOR IT ALL!”

He burst into a fit of laughter so violent blood spluttered from his lips, but still he didn’t stop, only clutched his sides hard, nails clearly digging in the skin.

‘’Stop.’’ Jay muttered, trying to stop Heeseung from hurting himself, but he only pushed him away, already wheezing from all the air he was using.

‘’We will all perish in your name.’’ The older continued, sounding as if it was the funniest thing in the world and not as if he was scaring Jay even more. ‘’You’re the worst. Always have to be the hero, no matter the cost. Selfish. Greedy. Unreliable. Heartless. Cruel.’’

‘’Heeseung stop.’’ Jay begged, shaking his brother again.

‘’You’re just a boy trying to seem like he knows everything! You lead us into traps, hurt us and now you’re killing us.’’ The older one said, shaking with each word. ‘’Everyone hates you. Magicfolk hate you. Victoria hates you. Mother and father hated you. All the crystal users hate you. Sunghoon hates you. I HATE YOU! I WISH YOU WEREN’T EVEN BORN! I DON’T WANT YOU AS MY BROTHER!”

‘’STOP!” Jay yelled, hands glued to his ears as he cried, all the words cutting deep, leaving wounds in his chest.

At the sudden exclamation, Heeseung’s eyes cleared briefly.

‘’Jay…’’ He whispered softly, reaching out his hand to touch Jay, but before it could make contact Heeseung’s head snapped backwards as if he was shot and the male fell to the ground, blood freely spilling from every crevice it could - nose, mouth, eyes and ears.

‘’No!” Jay sobbed, gathering his brother in his arms and squeezing tightly.

Was this all really his fault? How could he ever allow this to happen? For so many people to suffer? 

Did he make a bad call during battle? Had he made a wrong decision as King?

He had no time to dwell on it as when he looked back down, Heeseung’s body was gone and Jay was kneeling in the middle of a frozen over lake. The boy looked around, not knowing what just happened. The area seemed somehow familiar, besides the fact that everything was still white.

Jay made a move to get off the ice, fearing it might crack under his weight and also feeling determination to get out of this place, but then someone banged on the ice from underneath.

The boy looked down quickly, already expecting the sight that greeted him. Right there, beneath his feet, Sunghoon was trapped beneath the ice, banging his fists at it, trying to get out.

Jay instantly dropped to his knees, also trying to break the surface, but it was too thick. He tried to summon his fire, but couldn’t, only a few sparks flying out of his palms which he was desperately pressing against the ice.

‘’Please no.’’ Jay begged, banging on the ice too despite his hands feeling as if they were broken. But he already knew how this would end. ‘’Not again.’’

Whatever ice Jay managed to melt, it almost instantly refroze, leaving him to stare as Sunghoon’s shivering form grew weaker and weaker, until he could barely keep his eyes open, not even trying to free himself anymore.

‘’No!” Jay yelled, doubling his efforts and Sunghoon’s mouth fell open, air bubbles coming out of it and covering the King’s view. ‘’Sunghoon! Please not him!”

Yet despite his plea, when the water cleared, all Jay could see was a black silhouette getting lost in the depths of the lake. The boy pressed his forehead against the ice, choking on tears as he shook with sorrowful sobs.

‘’You should join them.’’ A voice said suddenly and Jay got up, feeling anger waking up inside his chest.

‘’Show yourself!” He yelled, fists clenched as he felt the heat rise.

‘’I don’t think it’s necessary.’’ They responded and they sounded as if they were an older woman. ‘’Afterall, you’re the one meant to doom everyone. Even yourself.’’

Jay was ready to argue, but then flames sprouted from his palms, causing a burning pain to spread through his body. He yelled, tried to reel the fire back in, but he couldn’t. They only continued to spread over his body, the smell of burnt skin making him nauseous.

‘’Ironic, isn’t it?” The woman spoke from somewhere closer, when the flame obstructed Jay’s view entirely, making him collapse from the pain. ‘’Dying because of something you thought you could trust?”

He felt the edges of his consciousness slipping, pain proving too much, until the ice underneath him gave way and he fell into the ice cold water with a scream.

Jay shot up on his bed with a scream, making Sunghoon run into the room, looking very panicked.

‘’What happened?” The latter asked, slowly approaching Jay as if he was a scared animal, but once he got close enough, the prince simply tugged on his wrist and hugged the other tightly.

Another nightmare? And so vivid too?

‘’Just a bad dream.’’ Jay responded, trying to calm his wildly beating heart, pulling away from the embrace just to stare at Sunghoon’s face. There was clear concern etched onto it, but it was no paler than usual, no fear, no desperation - just the furrowed eyebrows and creases on his forehead Jay always smoothes out with his thumb.

‘’You want to talk about it?” Sunghoon questioned, moving to his side of the bed and coming under the covers so they could hug better.

Jay pondered it for a second. On one hand he wanted to tell Sunghoon, but what if there was no point to it? What if they were only nightmares, not some weird prophecies? Nothing was endangering them right now - all they had to deal with was Jay’s upcoming coronation.

That’s why he only shook his head in response. He wasn’t a child. He could deal with a bad dream.

‘’No point in it. Just got spooked I guess.’’ He said, although he gladly accepted the spot on Sunghoon’s chest, which the other always offered when Jay was in need of comfort. ‘’Why weren’t you in bed?”

‘’I got up to drink some water.’’ Sunghoon explained. ‘’The moment I walked into the bathroom, you yelled so I got back instantly.’’

‘’My knight in shining armour.’’ Jay commented trying to lighten the mood. Sunghoon laughed at that, but the sound didn’t bring the comfort it usually did. Instead it made the prince’s mind flash back to the Heeseung from his dream - laughing like a maniac and yelling at him. ‘’We should go back to sleep.’’

The words made Jay’s expression twist and he was suddenly grateful for the fact that the other wasn’t able to see his face in the position they were in, but still somehow the bastard felt his uneasiness.

‘’If you feel like talking about it, you’re free to do so.’’ Sunghoon reminded him, carding a hand through his boyfriend’s hair. ‘’Or if you need someone to stay up with - just say a word.’’

‘’Thank you, but I’m really fine.’’ Jay responded, rising quickly to press a short kiss to Sunghoon’s lips before settling back down. ‘’I feel drowsy already.’’

‘’Whatever you say.’’ The other male said and the prince could hear the smile in his voice. ‘’Goodnight. Sleep well.’’

‘’You too.’’

Jay didn’t get a wink of sleep that night - every time he closed his eyes all that he could see were all the gruesome deaths he witnessed in his dream.

In the morning, when Sunghoon woke up, Jay pretended to have just gotten up too and went about his day, trying to forget the nightmare, cursing his brain each time it came back to him during his duties.

He expected it to just be a two time thing, yet soon it got to a point where he couldn’t go a night without having a nightmare. Some were better, some were worse, but they always seemed to hit him where it hurt the most.

Sometimes they played on what would happen when he becomes King. Other times they made him watch his family die or curse him out. Yet the ones he liked best were the ones in which he was the one to be killed.

Maybe it was masochistic, but at least he wasn’t hurting anyone in them - or he wasn’t doing it out right.

Yet the more dreams he had, the more he became sure that these weren’t visions of the future. It wasn’t like when he visited Destiny and saw how the battle in the throne room was supposed to go. Because what happened in that vision and the actual thing wasn’t that different and each of his dreams was different from the rest, sometimes taking place in the far future, when Jay is about to pass on the crown.

Still whatever was happening to him managed to place a seed of doubt in his head. What if all of these were truly visions of the future and not just head deciding to give him a hard time? Was he always destined to lose everyone? Be the villain?

Truth be told, he could visit Mal-Chin and ask him about it. He could look into the Destiny, but wouldn’t it be cheating? What if he got addicted to it? Obsessed with trying to make everything right?

Or maybe that was just his tired brain talking and coming up with the worst scenarios. What could be so bad about checking what was the right thing to do?

With a tired sigh, Jay placed his head on the wooden desk in his chamber, looking out the window at the dark world outside. The sun had set a long time ago, yet here he was sitting, pondering (possibly uselessly) what would be the best course of action, instead of getting advice from his boyfriend whose soft snores drifted through the air.

Jay thought about telling someone about his problem, but every person he came up with would make a big deal out of it - something he definitely wouldn’t appreciate.

Heeseung and Sunghoon would worry too much, forcing him to check whatever was bothering him and spend hours in the library just to try to find a solution, while none of them had enough free time to spare to do something like this.

Victoria would do pretty much the same, only with the difference she would first yell at him for being reckless and then would go and tattle on him to Heeseung, who in turn would complain to Sunghoon.

His mother could probably keep the secret, but she was still too buried in grief after her husband’s passing, so she would become too worried about him, which could possibly lead to a heart attack.

With a sigh he shook his head, loving how the cold wood contrasted with his heated skin, it reminded him of the first contact he had with Sunghoon, back when things still were complicated, but somehow felt easier.

He has to deal with the nightmares.

And he will.

After the coronation.

That was his last thought as his eyes slid closed and he fell asleep for the first time in what felt like days to him.

Jay was in a wooden house, modestly decorated as the fire from the fireplace cast a warm glow over everything. He shivered unconsciously at the mere thought of what would happen to him here this time.

Couldn’t the world just leave him alone for one night?

Soon the door opened and Jay turned around, only to find a girl standing there. She looked to be about the prince’s age, silky, brown hair with silver highlights flowing down her back, until it reached her hips. Her skin was pale, lips a beautiful pink, dressed in a white dress ending at the knees. She had piercing blue eyes and they wrinkled when she smiled widely at the boy before her.

She took Jay’s breath away and he instantly felt bad. She was very pretty, but when he imagined Sunghoon standing next to her, he could see where she fell flat. She was too thin, had no beauty marks, no scars or that specific way his nose always crinkled when he smiled at Jay.

He saw the moment her smile trembled, but she didn’t utter a word, only raised a finger to her lips and winked at him.

Just like that, Jay found himself in a dreamless sleep, feeling peace he hadn’t felt in what felt like years.

At last, he could rest.

Even if only for one night.

Chapter Text

Over the next few days, Jay noticed a thing about his nightmares.

Every time he gave into the exhaustion and slept in odd places, he was granted with a full night of dreamless rest - besides the occasional appearance of the girl in white. But still, every time he fell asleep in his own bed, he’d have another nightmare, which almost always left him shaking.

It made him think and after some time, he came to a conclusion he found most probable.

The nightmares had something to do with Sunghoon.

Don’t get him wrong - not even for a second did he think that the other could be behind the haunting dreams, but the two were surely connected. And after a few trials, Jay confirmed it had nothing to do with their bed, because every time he laid down for a nap in it alone, nothing happened.

At first, Jay considered talking to the other about the issue, but both of them were too busy with preparations for the coronation to try and solve some mysterious dreams, which could also be just nothing other than Jay’s mind playing on his nervousness. But he knew that Sunghoon wouldn’t share the sentiment - he would drop all his duties and devote all his time to finding a solution, which would result in an incredible amount of setbacks.

And they couldn’t have that.

It would put too much weight onto everyone involved if they wanted to make it on time.

And there was no way that Jay would allow the coronation to be pushed back. People were already talking that he was taking too much time to claim the throne and that if it continued, the citizens would lose the trust they placed in him.

So he decided that the next best thing was to sleep with Sunghoon as little as possible until the coronation.

At first, it proved to be quite easy.

Both him and Sunghoon often finished their duties late, so there was no surprise when he claimed that he was up all night reading and responding to letters, learning more about how to be a great King, finishing the robes and fitting the crown, but there was only so much he could lie about until the other grew concerned.

And grew concerned Sunghoon did.

He didn’t outright corner Jay about it, but it was clear as day he was trying to help the prince wind down. He stayed up late with him, waited for the latter to come to bed or just dragged him away from whatever he was doing just to cuddle and spend some time together.

Jay knew it was all well meant, but still he couldn’t help how tense he felt every time Sunghoon found himself next to him. The moment they touched, all the nightmares plagued his mind with horrible images to the point where he almost physically recoiled.

To be honest, it felt like hell. Jay felt as if the universe was playing a joke on him. He just got Sunghoon back and they were steadily building a relationship, yet here he was, unable to connect with his lover properly.

And obviously, it bothered Sunghoon as well - Jay could see it. How the younger hesitated before each touch, all the sighs when he woke up only to notice he was alone in the bed again or how their kisses became almost passionless.

It was clear that breaching the subject would be a matter of time.

But still Jay thought he would have more time.

The first confrontation came about a week and a half after he made his unusual discovery. He was sitting at his desk, pondering over how to place his guests so as to not offend anyone or cause any unnecessary fights, when the door to his office suddenly swung open and Sunghoon came through with a look of determination etched into his features.

‘’We need to talk.’’ The male said, pushing away the sweaty bangs from his forehead. He clearly forgone a shower after a practice session just to have time to talk to Jay. 

‘’I don’t really…” Jay began, an excuse at the tip of his tongue, but Sunghoon didn’t let him finish.

‘’Did something happen? Did I do something wrong?” The latter asked, falling into a chair opposite the prince unceremoniously.

The question made an ugly sensation fill Jay’s stomach.

“Of course not.’’ He said earnestly. ‘’I just have a lot going on right now.’’

Half-truths. That’s something he could settle for.

‘’And you chose to ignore me because of that?” Sunghoon asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly not wanting to settle on the surface level stuff. ‘’Something else is going on and I can feel it, but for whatever reason you don’t want to tell me.’’

‘’It has nothing to do with you.’’ Jay responded, sighing tiredly, guilt settling into his stomach because of the blatant lie.

‘’Everything that bothers you has something to do with me. For example - the fact that you don’t even come to bed most nights.’’ The other male countered. ‘’You should not overwork yourself. If the amount of things you have to do in a single day are too much, then maybe we should…”

“I will not be postponing the coronation, Sunghoon!” Jay yelled, not even knowing when he stood up from his chair. Yet the anger and exhaustion disappeared the moment he looked at Sunghoon’s shocked and hurt expression. ‘’We have already waited too long. The people…’’

He carded a hand through his hair in frustration and went to continue, but Sunghoon was already moving forward, putting his hand on Jay’s shoulder.

‘’The people need their King to be strong and not falling apart.’’ He argued, smoothing his hand down the prince’s back. “Your main concern should be your own health, not the fact that people have stupid expectations. They’ll always have them and if you follow them, then one day you’ll lose yourself.’’

Flashes of his nightmares came to his mind and he shivered, almost pulling away from the embrace. The warmth was comforting, but knowing what came of it left him standing there unsure.

‘’You won’t understand.’’ Jay so helpfully said, his walls crumbling down one by one.

He was tired from it all.

‘’Make me understand.’’ Sunghoon said softly, turning the male around by the shoulders, so they could stand face-to-face. ‘’Please.’’

And in that moment Jay could feel his heart shatter into pieces. He wanted to tell Sunghoon oh-so badly, but nothing good would come out of it. So he only shook his head lightly, not wanting to see the crestfallen look on the other’s face.

He felt the urge to pull the other into his arms and comfort, but right now Jay was sure the other would just push him away.

A few beats of silence passed between them as suddenly Sunghoon started walking towards the door, feeling that the conversation was done here. But when he opened them he came face to face with a servant, who already had their hand up and ready to knock.

‘’Um-... I’m so sorry to interrupt, but those researchers that the Prince has sent to investigate the temple came back today and are requesting an audience.’’ The man spoke quickly, clearly feeling the tension in the room.

Jay sighed and massaged his temples.

‘’I will meet them in a few minutes.’’ He said, falling back against his chair. ‘’Is the main hall alright?”

‘’No need, invite them here.’’ Sunghoon cut in, eyebrows drawn. ‘’I was leaving anyway.’’

The two stared at each other for a few seconds - one gaze disappointed and the other one simply tired from it all. 

Sunghoon turned to leave again, but before he could, the servant interrupted again.

‘’Actually they’re asking for the two of you along with Prince Heeseung and Miss Victoria.’’ The man told them, giving a deep bow. ‘’They are already settled in the library and are insisting it’s an urgent matter.’’

Sunghoon didn’t even turn to spare him a glance, only nodded and walked out the room, probably heading for the library. The servant remained at the door for a few more seconds, before bowing again and scurrying away.

Jay sat there for a while longer before getting up with a groan. He not only had to worry about coronation and Sunghoon right now, but apparently also something that was found inside the temple.

As he walked through the halls, his thoughts consumed him. When he sent those researchers to the temple, he didn’t even suspect they’d find anything remotely interesting. He mostly just wanted to make sure that everything was cleaned up well, but here was - getting surprised.

There was only one question he could ask himself - why couldn’t his life be easier? He knew so many princes and princesses that only grew up, married someone and assumed the throne. Was it so much to ask? Just any easy path to walk on?

He shook his head a few times to clear his thoughts before entering the library, where Sunghoon, Heeseung and Victoria were already sitting at an empty table, three people busying themselves with some scrolls.

Jay slowly walked towards a seat by Heeseung’s side instead of Sunghoon’s, what caused the other to clearly grow suspicious of the action, but he didn’t say anything outwardly for which he was grateful.

‘’Alright - thank you all for coming here.’’ One of the men spoke up. Jay was pretty sure his name was Soobin and that he was the head of the expedition. ‘’We’ve been studying the temple with a lot of care and made sure to be very thorough. Yet just as we started wrapping it up a few days ago - we made a discovery.’’

‘’One of our assistants - Beomgyu - stumbled and tried to grasp some vines on the wall to stabilise himself, but instead of a wall he fell right through.’’ Another man explained further. ‘’Apparently all this time there was a spacious basement, all devoted to people, who were deducted were called ‘Crystal Weilders’.’’

‘’Of course we didn’t know for whom the temple was built, but it was obvious it had something to do with magic, so we searched and asked an expert to help us.’’ Soobin continued. ‘’There were many abandoned things - weapons, diaries and scrolls, which we believe belong to the people Yeonjun has just named.’’

‘’Here, you can take a look.’’ The third man said, unrolling a scroll right in front of them. It was a map of the temple, all the places written down in modern language.

‘’It says something about a ‘Worshipping Room’.’’ Heeseung pointed out, a finger tracing a room, which seemed to be isolated from all the others.

‘’Does it?” Soobin questioned, eyes scanning the paper. ‘’I cannot read that language.’’

The four of them paled quickly.

‘’What do you mean?” Jay questioned, uneasiness crawling up his spine.

‘’This document is written in an ancient language - just as all the others. It took two days to translate the ‘Crystal Weilders’ alone.’’ Yeonjun said, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘’And also, some of our workers had trouble finding the temple at all, which we found weird, but then Kai remembered a small detail. We were brought to the temple by Prince Heeseung.’’

Everyone in the room froze for a second.

‘’What do you want?” Sunghoon asked, eyes scrunched as he took a look up and down the three men.

‘’Nothing that would put you in danger. At least we don’t think so.’’ Soobin spoke slowly, raising his hands as if to show he meant no harm. ‘’The room you’ve mentioned is sealed away and we suspect only people with the said crystals would be able to open it.’’

‘’That’s it?” Victoria questioned, clearly surprised. ‘’You just want to find out what’s there?”

‘’We’re scientists, what more could we want?” Yeonjun asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the table. ‘’I don’t know how the others feel, but I certainly don’t care about people having magic. I find it rather interesting even.’’

Soobin and Kai nodded at that. ‘’We just want to have the free reign to explore the temple - learn everything about it. You’ve given us a taste and now we’re hungry.’’ The latter said, skimming his fingers across the papers. ‘’We won’t say anything to anyone, we’ll even send our assistants away - but we want to study the part of history that has been locked away from us for way too long.’’

Everyone looked at Jay when the man finished speaking and he realised that they were waiting for him to either approve or deny the request. He hated being put on the spot like that, but then they had every right to know where they came from - where their ruler came from.

Yet could he trust them to wait until he was ready to tell the whole kingdom? 

‘’Fine. You can make use of the castle library and we’ll help you open the door.’’ Jay told them the weight he felt slightly lightening as he saw the three men smile at each other in satisfaction. ‘’But you cannot speak of it to anyone for now. You are smart men, so I assume you understand what news like this could do to my position.’’

‘’Of course, your Highness.’’ Soobin bowed deeply. ‘’When can we expect you to come and help us? We understand if you can’t do that immediately.’’

Jay glanced at the three people sitting by his side. All of them looked quite eager to find out what was hidden behind the door and honestly? He was too. It could be a good distraction - finding out more about the past of his kingdom, his family. But he still had duties to fulfill - things to sign, read over or approve.

Also - whatever was hiding behind that door could possibly help him with his issue. Maybe they’d find something about a curse, or just a mind play tricks - anything really, if it would serve to ease his mind and help him return to normal.

‘’We will set out tomorrow morning.’’ He concluded, ignoring all the surprised looks going his way. ‘’If we take our best horses and start the journey at sunrise, we should arrive somewhere around the evening. We will take shelter in the temple for the night and the next morning we will make our way back to the castle.’’ Jay planned out, already thinking how he could take some of the work with him. ‘’Mother should be fine to take over some of the duties for the time period, what do you think Heeseung?”

‘’She’d be delighted to help more.’’ His brother answered with a wide smile. 

‘’Alright then.’’ Jay said as he got up, reaching out to shake hands with Soobin. ‘’We will send some servants here and they’ll take you to your chambers, where you’ll rest for tonight.’’

‘’You’re too kind, Your Highness.’’ Soobin said as the whole three bent in a bow.

With that, the four left the scientists in the room and walked a few paces away from them, before Victoria stopped them.

‘’Isn’t this a bit too quick?” She asked. ‘’You sure about this Jay?”

‘’The longer we wait, the more dangerous this could become.’’ He responded, shrugging. ‘’I hate the fact that I have to stall the preparations even more, but also I think it will do us good to escape the castle, even for a short time.’’

That much he knew was true. It was clear that the upcoming coronation was taking a tool on all of them - Heeseung was his right hand and would rather collapse than let Jay shoulder even more weight, while Victoria and Sunghoon tried to help too in between the times when they would be stuck learning proper royal etiquette for hours.

The lessons were actually Jay’s idea. The two of them would sooner or later become part of the court and it was crucial for them to know how to act in front of nobles. 

‘’I agree.’’ Heeseung said, looking at the stone walls. ‘’Getting time away from work will be great for all of us.’’ He pointedly looked between Jay and Sunghoon, almost making the first one groan out loud. ‘’Alright then, let’s inform the right people and have a few servants prepare the necessary things for the journey.’’

And like that the four of them parted ways. Victoria and Heeseung went off in the same direction, while Sunghoon just turned around on his heel and walked away - to do who knows what. 

But instead of chasing after him, Jay only hung his head low and made his way to his office to try and do as much work as he could. Both of them needed to clear their heads before they’ll talk and for the future King there was no better way than drowning himself in work.

He didn’t stay in the office as long as he usually would, but still it was already dark outside and he started to feel tiredness settling in his bones. The temptation to just lay down on the couch and sleep was enormous, but he couldn’t bear to hurt Sunghoon like that again. And they still needed to figure things out - they couldn’t just let the tension between them shimmer until the two of them break completely.

As Jay made his way towards his and Sunghoon’s chamber, he made a resolution - he wouldn’t tell the other about his nightmares for now, even if there was nothing he’d like to do more. The trip they were about to take would probably cost him a few sleepless nights and he couldn’t have the other focusing on worrying about him.

With his heart beating hard in his chest, Jay pushed the door to their chamber open, expecting Sunghoon to be already lying in bed, but the other stood before their wardrobe, picking out clothes and settling them onto the chair.

‘’What are you doing?” Jay asked, closing the door behind himself and walking half the distance towards the other.

‘’Preparing for the trip.’’ Sunghoon answered shortly, not even turning around to look at him.

‘’Heeseung was supposed to send servants to do it.’’ He pointed out.

‘’I sent them away.’’ The boy responded, shrugging his shoulders. ‘’I like to prepare for things like that by myself. But don’t worry - they fixed up things for you. I’m just looking for my favourite pair of pants.’’

For some reason, that stung.

Silence started stretching between them, Sunghoon still not turning around as he tied a small bundle with nimble moves. It made Jay even more nervous, so he decided to make the first move.

‘’I’m sorry.’’ He began, instantly noticing the tense line of the other’s shoulders. ‘’I didn’t mean to offend you. Truly. I just am really stressed lately.’’

Sunghoon sighed, turning around and leaning his back against the desk. ‘’I understand, but that’s no reason for you to shut me out.’’ He pointed out. ‘’I’m stressed too - I am in an entirely new environment, I have to learn things I never even thought about and also want to help you. There isn’t a person in this castle who isn’t nervous around this time.’’ He started tapping his fingers lightly against the edge of the wood. ‘’Just because you’re going to become a King, doesn’t mean you have to tackle everything on your own.’’

‘’I know Sunghoon. I just don’t want to place my burden on others.’’ Jay told the male opposite him, feeling as his muscles slowly became more relaxed. 

‘’You’re not throwing it onto someone else - you’re sharing it. From experience I can tell you that carrying weight is easier when done by a few people.’’ Sunghoon argued. ‘’I want you to lean on me Jay, no matter in what case.’’

The ernest look in Sunghoon’s eyes definitely did a number on Jay’s poor heart. Especially with the fact he could not share what was truly bothering him.

Not yet.

But still he found himself drifting towards the other male, slowly raising his hands to Sunghoon’s cheeks to pull him into a soft kiss. Latter instantly responded, wrapping his own arms around Jay’s waist and pulling him close, tightly gripping as if he would vanish.

The embrace caused an electric spark to travel down Jay’s spine, but not in a bad way. For the first time in what felt like ages, he didn’t tense up while touching the other and it felt heavenly.

Gods, how much has he missed this.

A few seconds passed before they pulled away to catch their breaths and Sunghoon began talking again, their lips brushing with every word.

‘’Promise me Jay, that if something ever bothers you or if things are too much to handle, you’ll come to me.’’ He said, voice soft and hopeful. ‘’Please.’’

The prince’s heart twisted, but he found himself nodding anyway.

‘’I promise.’’

As that sentence left his mouth, it left behind a sour taste. He just had to get through the coronation and then they could work on all his issues. Then things would go back to how they were.

For sure.

But for now, he let himself live in that brief period of serenity as the two of them slowly got ready for bed, nervousness slowly creeping into Jay’s head the closer they got to laying down together.

It made no sense. Why was he so wound up with the nightmares? It was normal, he used to have them as a kid too and they almost never left him this rattled.

But back then, he didn’t even know that his dreams could be prophetic. 

With a sigh, he laid down against the pillows, his back thanking him for granting them this moment of rest on a proper bed. Exhaustion settled into him quickly, what already on it’s own served to help him fall asleep, but mixed with Sunghoon’s warm embrace, it took almost no time for sleep to take him, despite the light fear lingering in his mind.

Jay was sitting on the throne, crown heavy on top of his head. All his muscles tensed as he looked around, but nothing seemed to be out of order.

At least not for now.

Just as the thought appeared in his mind, the doors to the throne room opened and Sunghoon stepped in, looking angry. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask what was wrong, but he wasn’t given the chance.

‘’What is wrong with you!” Sunghoon yelled, doors slamming shut behind him, the sound of it thundering across the room. ‘’How could you have done it and not even consult me!”

Jay felt hairs stand at the back of his neck as he stared at the pure fury in Sunghoon’s form. He had never seen the other so angry, even when standing face to face with death.

‘’Calm down love.’’ The King said, standing up from his seat and making his way towards the distressed male. ‘’What are you talking about?”

‘’Are you kidding me, Jay?!” Sunghoon asked, clearly not amused. ‘’I’m talking about the shit you’ve pulled with the District!”

A million thoughts appeared in his head, but he couldn’t piece anything together. What had he done this time?

‘’Let’s just talk calmly, Hoon.’’ Jay pleaded, reaching out towards the other, heart breaking as the other flinched away. ‘’I truly have no idea what you’re talking about.’’

This sentence seemed to only agitate Sunghoon more.

‘’Maybe the fact you decided to shut the District down for good! No more coming in or out?! They’re my people Jay. They are YOUR people!” The male shouted, face growing red. ‘’And you just decide to seal their lives away, because you’re afraid of what other civilians will say?!”

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

‘’You know what’s the worst? You didn’t tell me. We could have faced the public together. Show them that magic isn’t bad. You could’ve been the fucking proof!” Sunghoon continued as tears rose to his eyes. ‘’Who are you to even decide their fate? Locking them away in that space is like giving them a life sentence.’’

Suddenly something came over Jay and he felt as if he was shoved away from the control over his own body.

‘’I’m the King, Sunghoon.’’ He declared, voice like steel. ‘’I have to do whatever is right for the people. And most of them happen to live outside the District.’’

‘’Still locking it forever isn’t a solution! It’s killing hundreds of innocent people!” The other argued, fists clenching at his sides. ‘’They are your subjects too! You can’t just abandon them!”

‘’Then why can’t I trust them with coming back to our society?” Jay asked, anger starting to shimmer inside him - but it felt like these feelings weren’t his. He would never speak about people like that. ‘’They are a bunch of wildcards!”

‘’Then I’m a wildcard too, right? And you can’t trust me to not hurt people?” Sunghoon asked, stumbling back as if he was dealt a physical blow. ‘’How stupid was I to believe that you actually see us as actual people.’’

‘’You no longer have your powers.’’ Jay pointed out as if it was obvious, while inside he was screaming. ‘’You pose no threat.’’

‘’So that’s all it was about? You only wanted to be with me because I stopped being a threat? So everything before it was fake?” The male asked.

‘’It’s not about that and you know it.’’ Jay responded, crossing his arms over his chest. This couldn’t be him, could it? He would never speak to Sunghoon like that. He would never make decisions like this. ‘’We’re closing the borders forever and that’s final.’’

They stared at each other for the next few seconds, until Sunghoon’s eyes hardened.

‘’If so, then send me into the District.’’ He said, spreading his arms out. ‘’That’s my place.’’

For the first time since Jay was pulled away, he felt hesitation, until it snapped like a too thin thread.

‘’You’re being ridiculous. You won’t survive there without your powers.’’ Jay told the other, shaking his head as he turned around to walk back to the throne.

‘’I’m not kidding.’’ Sunghoon responded. ‘’There is no place for a person like me in a court of a King like you.’’

‘’You’ll change your mind.’’ Jay said, already sitting down - he tried to play confident, but anxiety still crept in.

‘’No, I won’t.’’ Sunghoon told him. ‘’I want to go back to the people I love.’’

‘’And when did I stop being one of them?” His voice was full of venom now, as he continued to look right at Sunghoon, who now seemed smaller from where he sat on the throne.

That of being higher than someone was something Jay couldn’t quite describe.

‘’The moment you decided to be the biggest hypocrite known to mankind.’’ Sunghoon responded. ‘’The power changed you. You’re the worst King to ever walk the planes of Earth.’’

That sentence made Jay see red and in a flash of fire he found himself in front of the other male, who stood there - completely unflinching, even as the heat from the flames quickly spread across the room.

‘’Watch your mouth.’’ Jay spat out and it felt so wrong. ‘’I’m still a King.’’

‘’Not mine. And definitely not for the people from the District.’’ Sunghoon said, clearly growing tired from the conversation. ‘’You’re nothing, but a facade. You want to protect the people from magic, while here you stand, barely holding yourself back from turning me to ash.’’

A pang of something shot through Jay, but whatever version of him was in control at the moment didn’t seem to care about that - it only served to make the fire burn brighter.

‘’Get out whilst I still am giving you this opportunity.’’ He said, fists clenched. ‘’Make us of my mercy.’’

‘’I never asked for mercy.’’ Sunghoon responded, eyes falling down onto his hands and that’s when Jay noticed it. The other was wearing a royal ring - one traditionally used for proposals in his family. So in whatever twisted realm he found himself now, apparently they were engaged. And that only made the next sentence more hurtful. ‘’I don’t know why I fell in love with you. I could have seen it from the very first day - that people like you don’t change, because you only want what’s best for you.’’ He slid off the ring off his finger and looked at it for a few seconds. ‘’I want nothing to do with you Jay Park. You’re the worst thing that has ever happened to me.’’

After that, he threw the ring straight at Jay’s chest - making it almost instantly vanish from the mere heat the flames were emitting. A growl escaped from his chest as the flames burst forward, towards Sunghoon. His face, not even twisted in pain, but only marred by disappointment was the last thing he saw before he was plunged into complete darkness.

It felt like he was floating - left in this empty space to think over what he has just seen. 

There was no way that he could ever do any of that. He loved every single one of his subjects. He loved Sunghoon. He could never hurt anyone like that.

A laugh boomed across the space as a voice filled with venom suddenly spoke from the void.

‘’You really thought you could be a great King?” It asked. ‘’You don’t deserve that title. You’re just a coward, who can’t even face nightmares - so how are you supposed to run a kingdom?”

‘’That’s not true.’’ Jay responded, but doubt still crept in. ‘’I will be a great King, especially with the help from my loved ones.’’

‘’You think they really love you? Heeseung hates you for always taking your father’s attention. Victoria couldn’t care less about such a pathetic person. Your mother never forgave you the fact you chose to protect your little boyfriend rather than your own dad. And Sunghoon? You’re only a tool in his hands. He can make you do anything - he already made you help him escape from the District.’’ The voice countered.

‘’Stop this!” Jay found himself saying way less powerfully than he’d like. ‘’You know nothing of my situation. I’m not perfect. We aren’t perfect. But we are the best we can be for the people.’’

‘’I don’t know?’’ The voice asked with a chuckle. ‘’Jay, I’m you. This is your dream. Your own head. You yourself are not sure you’re what this country needs. Maybe the best solution would be just removing yourself from the equation? I think Heeseung would be fit for a King.’’

‘’Stop. Heeseung would never pick up the crown.’’ Jay responded, gripping the sides of his head, trying to will it all to a stop.

‘’True, he gave it to you. But you’re only going to disappoint him. Disappoint everyone.’’ The voice spoke, somehow growing louder. ‘’You should just give it to Sunghoon. He’d be a great leader. One that knows what real life looks like - not just being spoilt behind palace walls. He’d definitely never allow people to die.’’

‘’Sunghoon doesn’t want power. And I would never let anyone get hurt.’’ Jay told whomever he was talking with. ‘’You’re just spitting lies. Trying to make me doubt myself.’’

‘’How can I make you do something, when you already do that every single day?” The voice asked, now sounding a bit irritated. ‘’You just don’t understand, do you? Every single bad dream you’ve had - it’s to show you what will happen if you become King. The pressure will eat you alive.’’

‘’Stop.’’

‘’Being a King is all about making decisions and you won’t ever follow your moral compass. You’ll only want to please the people, what makes you lose all the ones close to you. But then, when you decide to lead them, it all just goes to shit and they seem to die at your hand.’’ The voice continued, clearly unbothered by the tears gathering in Jay’s eyes. ‘’It’s pathetic really. Born to be a King, but also forced to be a coward, who makes the kingdom fall. I’m just curious how long until you collapse from it all.’’

He no longer had the strength to argue, it seemed like the place was consuming all of his energy.

‘’Poor little boy, never good enough.’’ The voice said with clear amusement. ‘’It’s time for you to go now. Go and become a King people will hate. Go and disappoint everyone. Make them bleed for your incompetence.’’

Jay shot up on the bed, the sun barely peeking over the horizon, casting a pink light across the chamber. He has sweat through his bed clothes and was probably deathly pale.

He sent a glance to his right, only to see Sunghoon resting without a single care in the world, their hands lightly touching in the middle of the bed. He pulled away from the contact as if it physically burned him.

His throat felt all choked up, but there was no way he was going to wake up Sunghoon for this. It was his mind playing up to his insecurities - that much he had learned. So why couldn’t he turn it off as well as he used to be able to?

Maybe it was a good thing he would take a break from all the things connected to the coronation tomorrow.

He took in a sharp breath.

He has to deal with the issues one at a time.

He could do it.

Couldn’t he?

Chapter Text

Jay stayed awake until the sun started peeking over the horizon, finally casting a golden glow over the chamber, helping him to push the darkness from his dream to the back of his mind. For the last few hours his mind was rushing, not letting him catch a break.

Would it really make such an awful King? No one around him seemed to think so, yet there were so many whispers from nobles and commoners that he was too young, that he wouldn’t be surprised if his close-ones would be just lying to make him feel better.

Maybe his father wasn’t the best ruler out there, yet it still felt like he had left shoes way too big for Jay to fill.

“What got you thinking so intensely this early in the morning?” Sunghoon mumbled into his pillow, voice groggy from having just woken up.

Despite the storm raging on inside of himself, Jay still chuckled and carded a hand through the other’s hair. He has missed it, this feeling of calmness when next to Sunghoon. Yet he also hated it now, because it wasn’t the same thing it used to be.

Now it was charged with more anxiety than he’d like to admit.

‘’Just thinking of how beautiful the man in my bed is.” Jay said, turning to the side to look at the other clearly fighting off sleep. "Where has the Sunghoon that was already up and working at sunrise gone?”

‘’This bed killed him.’’ The male responded, stretching with a loud groan. ‘’You killed him.”

‘’If by that you mean I got you to finally relax a little, I’ll take it any time.’’ Jay responded, patting the other on the stomach before getting up. ‘’But now he should make a brief come back, because we need to get ready for our trip to the temple.’’

With a sigh Sunghoon sat up, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. ‘’I’m doing it only because it means I get to spend more time with you.’’ After that he got up and grabbed his clothes before walking into the bathroom to get changed.

But his words stayed with Jay, serving to twist a knife even deeper into his chest, even if Sunghoon for sure didn’t mean for it to sound like that. Still it wasn’t a lie - and Jay knew it very well.

Still, despite that feeling still being very much present in his chest they set out to make the journey to the temple. He tried to distract himself and talk to Sunghoon, make jokes, talk about some important things with Heeseung, but there was still no escaping the thoughts plaguing his mind.

So the whole ride went like that - Jay trying to pretend he wasn’t doubting his future as the King.

And thankfully his close ones were doing a pretty good job at distracting him. To the point where he actually grew more curious than worried about what they’d find inside the temple.

Hours blurred and Jay felt his back aching, but still he felt more alive than he’d had for quite some time. The thrill of adventure crept up on him and he never wanted to stop riding, the wind ruffling his hair, sun warming his face and the sight of Sunghoon so in his element made him even consider running away.

He could take some gold from the vault, take Sunghoon and abandon his duties - it would be so easy to just let go of all the burdens and go live a peaceful life, where he only had to worry about waking up early enough to make Sunghoon breakfast.

But he knew that he would never be brave enough to take that step. Despite everything, he had a sense of duty towards everyone in the kingdom and everyone living inside of it. He could never abandon it. Not really.

So why was he having such a hard time believing he could actually do some good?

His thoughts were cut short by the fact that they found themselves in front of the temple and he almost couldn’t believe how quickly the time went by.

As he jumped down from his saddle, he couldn’t help but stare at the building in front of him. He didn’t remember the temple being quite this big, covered by moss and vines in various places, only partially allowing the golden bricks to seep through. This time he could clearly read the words carved above the entrance.

Here reside the Gods, blessed by the power of space crystals.

It made a shiver run down his spine. He had one of the crystals, but he felt like a thing furthest from a God. Would people think of him like that if he ever showed them his power? Would they turn to worship? Or would they simply despise him for having magic?

His muscles relaxed slightly as he felt a hand slide into his own and squeeze tightly. He didn’t even have to turn towards the person to know it was Sunghoon. He made the worry disappear, even if it was replaced by anxiety only a few moments later.

‘’Seems like it all happened so long ago.’’ Sunghoon said quietly, his eyes studying the huge temple.

‘’Depends on how you look at it.’’ Jay responded, every blink sending him back to the day he almost lost the love of his life. ‘’I still feel as if it all happened yesterday.’’

The other clearly wanted to continue the conversation, but they weren’t allowed to as Soobin pushed the door open, inviting them in with a wave of his hand.

Everything inside looked almost exactly how Jay remembered it - save for all the research equipment. But this time he wasn’t plagued by fear - now it was more like familiarity. Soon they were standing in the meeting room, as Yeonjun, Soobin and Kai dispersed to look for all the things they deemed important for their venture into the basement. 

‘’Hard to think that this is the place where Arin and Jiseok used to sit.’’ Victoria commented, moving towards the Shadow Throne. 

‘’The bastards.’’ Heeseung muttered underneath his breath, approaching the Mind Throne. ‘’Betrayed their friends for the sake of power.’’

‘’Who could even do something like that?” Victoria asked, her fingers skimming over the stone.

The words they spoke, even if not directed at him, made Jay try to swallow around the lump in his throat. It seemed like they could see right through him.

‘’So much history.’’ Sunghoon said, eyes trained on the Water Crystal. For everyone else - it looked like he was deep in thought, but Jay knew the truth. He saw the tension in the other’s posture and the pain in his gaze.

He missed the powers provided by the crystal. Even if he didn’t want to show it, it was way too clear to be anything else.

Ignoring the storm inside himself, Jay moved to stand beside Sunghoon as the other stared at the water emblem, wanting to comfort him, but having no idea how to.

Maybe it was a weird thought, but somehow it felt like everything used to be easier. He had no trouble talking with Sunghoon back when they were on their quest, but here he was now, his hand raised mid-way to the other’s shoulder, not knowing if it would even bring the other some comfort. Now he was uncertain of every move he made.

‘’We’re ready!” Kai announced, gaining everyone’s attention.

The four quickly looked at each other, everyone nodding slightly, curiosity spiking inside of everyone.

‘’Let’s go then, shall we?” Heeseung said, already walking towards the jagged arch, where they could see the top of the stairs.

As they slowly descended, the air turned humid and thick - but not in the usual basement way. It seemed like something powerful was lingering in the air.

“Do you feel it too?” Victoria asked. “As if the air is charged in some way.”

“Yeah.” Sunghoon responded, voice breathless.

Soon enough they found themselves at the bottom of the stairs, in a cramped, square room. And just like Soobin said yesterday it was filled with stuff. Chests, scrolls, weapons - some of which hung from the walls - scattered around as if someone left it like that in a hurry.

“Follow me please.” Yeonjun told them, moving through all the scattered items with graceful ease.

They all followed without a word and then found themselves in a narrow hallway, only big enough to fit one person at a time, making them need to walk in a line. It was pretty long and with each step, Jay could feel excitement fill him along with something else - perhaps a sense of rightness? Finality?

After some time, they found themselves in another room. This one would be nothing special, just hard-packed earth all around, but right opposite them was a huge door. It was clearly made with some golden material, which practically glowed in the torch light. There were the eight crystal emblems carved into it, each its individual colour, little furrows twisting around each of them like veins. It seemed to beckon Jay over and he barely stopped himself from walking forward.

‘’Woah.’’ Heeseung muttered, taking a couple of steps towards the door. ‘’How could it have been made?”

“Clearly the Crystal Wielders had some devoted followers.’’ Soobin commented. ‘’But still, they must be full of magic, since nothing can open them. Do you see any clues on how to enter?”

Jay shook his head. ‘’There is nothing written on it, but I feel drawn to them.’’

‘’Me too.’’ Sunghoon spoke, tilting his head to the side as he stepped closer to the door. 

‘’There must be a way to enter it.’’ Yeonjun said, scratching his chin. ‘’Is it possible that this requires all the Crystal Wielders?”

‘’It wouldn’t make sense.’’ Victoria responded, reaching out her hand to touch the door - but nothing happened. ‘’Jiseok and Arin were corrupted and if there’s something important on the other side, the rest of the Users wouldn’t have been able to enter. It must be something else.’’

Sunghoon slowly trailed his hands over the emblems, stopping right at the one showing fire. He turned around and motioned for Jay to come closer, which he instantly obeyed.

‘’It seems like yours has a little give.’’ The other male said, stepping to the side to allow Jay access.

The tension inside of him grew and his hand trembled before he placed it onto the door. Suddenly, it was like all his muscles went lax, turning relaxed like he had no worry in the world. Whatever he was doing - it felt more right than anything he’d done in quite some time.

Following his gut, he twisted his hand to the right, emblem following easily. The moment it was turned upside down, the room was illuminated by fire, which quickly filled the furrows. One moment they were staring at the door and the next it was gone, left on the ground in a small puddle of golden liquid.

Everyone looked at each other in astonishment, clearly not having expected that outcome.

‘’Was this supposed to happen?” Heeseung questioned, eyes opened comically wide.

No one bothered with replying as they stared at the new room before them.

It was quite spacious and in the shape of a ninetagon, while the ceiling was a dome. Despite there not being any sunlight, the room was quite bright, the torches casting an almost blinding light. Slowly Jay stepped through the entrance and his breathing stuttered.

Right in the middle of the room was a stone table, sentences carved upon it, but it wasn’t the most shocking thing. Right opposite of the entrance, on the wall was a very detailed painting of himself. He was dressed in red robes, which had golden embroidery, atop his head - a golden crown. Fire wrapped around his frame like a snake and in his eyes there were little glowing embers.

‘’What the hell is all that?” Sunghoon asked, standing to Jay’s right.

Without thinking his gaze travelled there and he was welcomed with a painting looking exactly like Sunghoon - or like the Sunghoon who still had his powers. His expression was serious, hair white as snow and eyes an icy blue colour. He had his arms crossed, what ruffled his navy robes, which had silver snowflakes sewn into them. Huge waves were painted behind him in a way that made an illusion that they were parting for him.

A quick look around made Jay realize that there were also paintings of Victoria, Heeseung and four other people, all surrounded by their respecting crystal abilities.

‘’Why are we on these walls?” Victoria asked, coming closer to the picture, raising her hand to touch it.

‘’I suppose the answer must be written here.’’ Soobin responded, coming close enough to stand in front of the stone in the middle. Heeseung quickly joined him, already preparing himself to read whatever was carved into the table.

Jay didn’t join them, opting to stand beside Sunghoon.

‘’This seems very eerie.’’ He commented, looking at the other’s reaction, but his face didn’t show anything besides shock.

‘’Exactly.’’ Sunghoon said, reaching for Jay’s hand, what he allowed without a second thought. ‘’I can’t say what it is, but something about this place makes me uncomfortable.’’

Jay smoothed his thumb over the back of Sunghoon’s hand, comforting words at the tip of his tongue, when a sound of stone crumbling reached their ears along with a shout of surprise. They turned around quickly, only to see how the painting of Victoria slowly disappeared between the cracks, which started to form sentences.

‘’What happened?” Heeseung asked, swiftly moving towards the girl.

‘’I touched the painting and then the cracks started to form.’’ She explained, turning her head to the side in wonder.

‘’What does it say?” Soobin asked, his attention successfully dragged away from the stone table.

‘’Victoria Locke - The Shadow. Silent, brave and cunning. Slays enemies with the slightest glance, but forever chased by demons. Fallen in the Last Battle.’’ Heeseung read slowly, growing concerned with each word. ‘’What does it even mean?”

Victoria placed a calming hand on his shoulder. ‘’How could they have known our names centuries ago?”

A beat of silence followed before Jay realised. 

‘’The Destiny.’’ He said, all of the eyes turning towards him. ‘’It must have shown them us for whatever reason.’’

Without a hitch, Sunghoon moved forward and placed his hand on his own portrait. The exact same process repeated itself and soon there was text over the painting, but the way one of the cracks passed right over Sunghoon’s face made Jay shiver.

Yet despite that, he came a bit closer and got to reading.

‘’Park Sunghoon - Water and Ice. Strong, resilient and dependable. Builds thick walls of ice, which never crumble. Fallen in the Last Battle.’’ Jay read aloud, his hand finding it’s place on Sunghoon’s shoulder and squeezing lightly.

‘’Well, whoever made this for sure wasn’t very expansive with their explanations.’’ Sunghoon commented. ‘’What in the hell is ‘The Last Battle’?”

Instead of getting a reply, more cracking filled the air. This time it was Heeseung, who touched his own portrait.

‘’Prince Heeseung - The Mind. Intelligent, collected and compassionate. Always first to learn someone’s mind, but never fully exploring his own. Fallen in the Last Battle.’’ Heeseung said, clearly taken aback.

Silence filled the space before expectant eyes turned to Jay once more. He had no desire to read whatever was hidden under that portrait, because he had a feeling he wouldn’t like what was there one bit.

Yet still, he moved, quietly regretting agreeing to come here so soon. What was it all about anyway? The Last Battle? His closest people being victims in it?

There really wasn’t ever an option to rest.

He came to a stop right in front of the painting, suddenly feeling like he was looking into a mirror. His hand trembled as he lifted it and touched the cold stone. It was as if someone shocked him with something, a tingling sensation spreading all over his body.

The cracks appeared fast, tearing the painting into pieces. But unlike the others - his sentences started glowing in a blood red colour as he stared at them. The change made a lump form in his throat, but he forced it down as quickly as it appeared.

It could all still be a mistake, right?

‘’King Jay - Fire. Powerful, just and caring. His fire warms everyone around him, but at the same time consumes everything. A saviour of humanity.’’ He read, glancing around at the people behind them. They all looked confused, but they didn’t seem openly worried about the fact that he was the only one, who wasn’t mentioned to have fallen in the ‘Last Battle’.

‘’These texts seem awfully eerie.’’ Yeonjun mumbled as he scribbled in his notebook.

‘’You think?” Victoria asked, voiced laced with so much sarcasm it clearly surprised the researcher. ‘’Why are we even painted here?”

‘’I think it’s not bold of me to assume it is because of the ‘Last Battle’ thing.’’ Sunghoon pointed out, clearly deep in thought. ‘’It must be something really huge if they dedicated a whole shrine to an event which would happen centuries after their deaths.’’

Instead of letting them converse further, Heeseung moved towards the stone table in the middle of the room, closely followed by Jay, whose heart was beating wildly inside his throat. It might be nothing serious - fallen doesn’t necessarily mean dead, right? Also - the battle might be years from now. They could prepare for it accordingly and win again.

‘’As the vision says - on the 20th birthday of the leader of the Final Crystal Users, darkness will swallow the world whole, unless they unite and stand together against the threat. The Dark Witch will take everything they hold dear. The battle will be bloody and exhausting, taking many lives. If they fail - humanity will perish forever.’’ Heeseung read from the stone. ‘’The fate of all beings lies in their hands, in the most powerful people to ever exist in the world.’’

‘’Leader’s birthday? That means…’’ Victoria began, eyes growing wide upon the realisation. The four looked at each other in deep concern.

‘’What?” Soobin asked, clearly on edge.

‘’The Fire User is always the leader and in this case, it’s Jay.’’ Heeseung explained, eyes hollow. ‘’Which means that we have three weeks to stop the ‘Dark Witch’.”

The world seemed to stop at that moment and Jay wasn’t so glad to be in the temple anymore.

This whole thing must be some elaborate plan to just mess with them. Honestly, Jay truly expected someone to just spread their arms and start laughing about how they were caught in a joke, but as seconds passed - it didn’t happen. 

He just saved his close ones and now he is supposed to risk everything again to go against some entity he has never even heard of before?

The urge to just sit down on the ground and start pulling out his hair was strong and one glance at his companions told him they felt the same.

They didn’t even have enough time to really recover from the last battle and now they had to prepare for another one, supposedly even more dangerous.

With a heavy sigh, Jay moved away from the table and towards the exit, signalling everyone to follow him. Looks like they have no choice, but to meddle with the world’s affairs again.

But for that, they need a plan.

Because Jay isn’t going to risk everything he has gained in the last few months.

No one will get hurt.

Not this time.