"Crimson veins"- chapter 3: The Hollow court.

The first thing Jungkook notice was the silence. It wasn't empty - it rang, like a song on the edge of memory. Then came the heat. Soft at first, then heavier, pressing down on his skin like a whisper of fire.

The sky above stretched endless - black silk streaked with threads of red light, stars pulsing faintly like open wound. Below his feet, the ground shimmered darkly, obsidian dust scattered with crimson veins that glowed faintly with each step he took.

He stood on a cliff overlooking a vast valley. Rivers of liquid fire wound thought the shadows, and on the distance, towers rose - jagged, glasslike, their tips bleeding light into the sky.

It was terrible.

and breathtaking.

"Is this... Hell? "Jungkook whispered.

Taehyung turned to him, a faint smile curling his lips. His wings arched behind him, feathers ripping like ink in water.

" No, "he said softly. " This is older than Hell. This is where Heaven buried its mistakes. "

He stepped closer, his eyes glowing faintly gold in the half-light.

"welcome to the Hollow court - my home. "

...----------------...

They walked down a path that glowed faintly beneath their feet. The air shimmered with heat and the faint scent of iron and roses. Jungkook's heart pounded with every step.

"You said I'd been here before." Jungkook said finally, his voice small against the vastness. "How? Why can't I remember? "

Taehyung's expression darkened.

"Because remembering would kill You - again. "

Jungkook frowned "again? "

Taehyung looked away, his jaw tight. "The crimson veins is a curse. It binds us thought lifetimes, but it demands a price each time it awakens. You die, I fall deeper. "

"Then Why bring me back here. "Jungkook asked quietly.

Taehyung stopped walking. He turned, and the look in his eyes nearly made Jungkook step back - fierce, vulnerable, desperate.

"Because I can't lose you again. "

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The world seemed to hold its breath - The air thick with heat and something raw, ancient, unspoken.

Then a soft sound broke the silence - a low hum, almost musical. Jungkook looked up. All around them, shadows moved.

Figures stepped out of the mist -tall, elegant, otherworldly. Their eyes glowed in shades of gold, crimson, and violet. Some had wings, some forms, some halos cracked and dim. Each one watched Jungkook with wary curiosity.

"They're demons, "Jungkook breathed.

"They're my court, "Taehyung said. " And they know what you are. "

"What am I?"

Before Taehyung could answer, one of the demon - a man with pale hair and eyes like burning coal - stepped forward, bowing low.

"My Lord," he said. "So the prophecy was true. The mark one has returned. "

Jungkook stiffened. "Prophecy? "

Taehyung's tone turned cold. "Enough, yoongi."

But yoongi only smirked faintly.

"He should know, shouldn't he? The crimson veins isn't just a bond - it's a key. to open what heaven sealed."

Jungkook's pulse quickened. "What does that mean? "

yoongi's smile was slow, sharp. "It means you're not just his lover, mortal. You're his undoing. "

......................

Taehyung moved in an instant. His hand shot out, gripping yoongi's collar. The air crackled, red lightning spider-webbing across the ground.

"One more word. "Taehyung growled," and I'll make sure you forget how to speak. "

Yoongi didn't flinch. He only smiled wider. "Still protecting him, even now? Some things never change. "

Taehyung released him, his wings trembling faintly as he turned away. Jungkook stood frozen, his breath shallow.

"You're hiding something from me. "

Jungkook said quietly.

Taehyung didn't answer.

" Taehyung. "

Finally, the demon prince looked up, his eyes meeting Jungkook's. The gold in them had dimmed, replaced by something darker.

"If you knew," he said softly, "you'd hate me. "

Jungkook stepped closer. "Try me. "

For a long moment, Taehyung said nothing. Then he lifted a hand, tracing a line in the air. The space rippled, revealing a faint vision - a memory.

A battlefield under a crimson sky. Jungkook - but not human - stood beside Taehyung, wings white and bright, eyes burning with light. Angels screamed overhead. Fire fell from the sky.

"You were an angel, "Taehyung whispered. " Heaven's most beloved. And you loved me - the fallen one. You choose me over them. "

The vision flickered. Jungkook's heart stuttered.

"I fell for you. And when they found out... "Taehyung's voice broke slightly. " You burned. They erased your name from Heaven's light. But even that couldn't break the bond. The crimson vein was born from your final vow - that you'd find me again, in every life. "

Jungkook's knees nearly gave out. He pressed a hand to his chest - the veins there glowing brighter, pulsing in rhythm with Taehyung's heartbeat.

"So I died for you, "Jungkook whispered.

Taehyung's eyes closed. " You always do. "

...----------------...

For a long moment, they stood there - two souls suspended between curse and destiny. The Hollow court watched in silence, the air humming with old magic.

Then, from somewhere deep in the shadows, a bell tolled - low and ancient. The demons stirred. Yoongi's smile vanished.

"They've felt the mark awaken," he murmured. "Heaven will come for him soon. "

Taehyung's wings spread wide, black features shimmering crimson at the edges.

"Then they'll have to come through me. "

Jungkook's heart pounded, fear and something wilder curling in his chest.

"Taehyung," he said, voice barely a whisper. "What happens now? "

Taehyung turned, his gaze softening.

"now? " He said, stepping closer enough that Taehyung could feel the heAt of his skin.

"Now you remember who you were. Before they take you away again. "

And when his hand brushed Jungkook's cheek, the world around them fractured - the Hollow court blurring into light and Shadow.

Memory rushed in like a storm. Wings. Fire. A vow sealed in blood and eternity. and Jungkook's voice - echoing thought time:

"even if Heaven falls, I'll find you. "

...🍀ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ🍀...

🍀🍀🍀🍀

hi 🥰 sweetie, doing well? this is auther thank you so much for reading my book. are you exited for next chapter, guess what is going to happen next. will Jungkook take to the Hevean or stay with Taehyung maybe not, or maybe..... byee cuties let's meet in next chapter.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***