Minrae's view was blocked by her untied strands of hair, that mocked and ridiculed her fate as she fell prey to the Demon's games. The wind around her started dancing to her death. She didn't realize how far a demon can go to betray a mere human. Minrae reached her hands forward to hold onto the hands of a man who never offered his in the first place.
Namjoon had his lips sealed in tension, eyes musing at her falling figure, posture so steady as if he was waiting for her to end.
When the Demon's figure was out of sight, Minrae's eyes were glued to the sky above. It was as if the heaven itself was sharing her deep sorrow. The sky was never this dull. Clouds clashed each other and the vast dimension beside it was grey and had no life to it.
End said the script for her.
That was all for the female lead.
But the feather.
It was still on the grip of her palms.
She witnessed a vison for a split second before gravity could take her to the end. It was a hand holding her very small ones at her younger age. And a voice that followed, 'Wait for me here, okay?'
Time didn't stop for her. However tragic it maybe she had to meet her faith in the end. And just like that, Minrae's body crashed onto the hard ground. The sudden pain had enlarged her eyes, and her fragile body moved to take her last few breaths
A broken voice escaped her lips. With the girl's head tilted to the side, she could see blood flowing into the cracks of the cemented ground. There was no exception to the pain she experienced. It felt like oblivion. Maybe that's why the feather reveals the past in the midst of death, she thought.
As death in itself is the first judgement of the soul's life on earth. And the pain is a reminder of the end of this mortal body she came with and all the memories associated with it.
Minrae's hands felt numb, and her eyes were slowly, slowly closing.
There were marching footsteps nearing, but she had no strength to lift her head up. All their voices were muffled up, and a strong beep noise followed, ringing like a siren around her head. She wanted it gone. It's too painful. Her head was about to burst.
Faster. Please, end me faster. Just end this lingering pain that's crawling up my body. I beg you. If there is a god, please hear me. She cried to the heavens that never listened to her laments. Her last wish was death.
Will the deity hear her?
JÂ Â UÂ Â NÂ Â GÂ Â KÂ Â OÂ Â OÂ Â K
"Aishh Ajushi!! Do you know where this suit is from!? ITALY!! What are you going to do about this?" I asked, pointing at the stain on my designer suit, next to my pocket at the doctor who spilled ketchup on me, I would say rather purposely.
His name was written on his hospital gown, it read, Dr. Kim Seok Jin.
"Sorry about that" he replied. Jin brought his hot dog bun towards my face and wiped the bun on my suit, taking the ketchup on it but spreading the stain even more. "There, all good" he commented after stuffing the rest in his mouth.
"WHAT!? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" I blasted.
"Jeon Jungkook"
"I'M JEON JU-" my expressions became puzzled. "How did you know my name"
"Who doesn't, you literally make sure your presence is noticed"
My reply was at the tip of my tongue. But I held back when I noticed something fall to the ground from the glass side entry door. It wasn't something small, that had me fully curious and walking towards the door.
"Where are you going when an elder is still talking to you? Get back here!" demanded the doctor who followed me out.
My hand that held the steel handle tensed as I could see the figure through the glass. It didn't take time for me to notice her attire and run towards the body in complete shock. My eyes couldn't believe what I'm witnessing.
"MINRAE!?"
Holding my breath, I knelt down to turn her to my side only to see blood all over the hard ground. She was not breathing.
"Jung-is that?" the doctor who followed me took a step back with his hands covering his mouth. "This can't be happening" he continued.
"Call 911" I yelled, holding her in my arms.
"Okay, okay um" he walked around about to grab his phone before saying. "You stupid boy, we are 911"
Realization hit me like a truck. But there was no time to think.
"Then do something! Aren't you a doctor. She is so cold"
"No, people here can't save her. She is good as dead in this dimension"
"Then do something!!! Use your fairy powers or something! You can do that right?" my hands that held her started to shiver in fear and my voice started breaking up after every word.
"Of course, that's the only way but-wait a second! How did you know I am not human?"
"Are you kidding me!? You literally threw a levitating table to the other doctor with you and even walked into the toilet with your wings unhidden on me! And not to forget how you just mentioned that she can't be saved in this dimension! Not all humans are dumb, okay?
"Oh right" He said "I hope no one saw this than us" he continued looking around in doubt.
"Really? Stop wasting time and help her"
"He won't be of any help. That's something only I can do"
A figure was slowly walking towards us. He had his hands dug inside his pant pockets and looked undisturbed by the body covered in blood.
"Kim Namjoon you little brat! I knew you were behind this!" Dr. Jin said, marching towards the man that came out of nowhere.
"Relax hyung, she has my feather. She won't die holding onto that. Like you mentioned she is good as dead in this dimension that only values her body made by the various elements to give existence to her soul. However, her soul won't leave this body as long as my feather is in her possession. Its time Minrae put an end to this age-old history. And for that she needs to remember what was erased from her. Its high time she ends the Demons punishment"
MÂ Â IÂ Â NÂ Â RÂ Â AÂ Â E
[Vision]
I could feel the grip of a warm hand over my small delicate ones. The view ahead was blur; however, it was enough for me to know that it was the backyard of my home. Like a fading memory I looked up at the figure that smiled brightly at my seven-year-old self.
"Rara, who are you going to miss the most during these two weeks?" he asked, keeping his other hand over his ear, waiting for my reply.
"HOBI HOBI" I yelled, jumping up and down as he smiled at my reaction.
"Do you have to go?" I asked with a pout.
"Don't worry, its only two weeks. I will find a good job and get Rara so many candies when I'm back"
"Ahhhhh really?!"
Our laughter's slowly faded away and one after another many more memories that I shared with this man started playing. It felt so soft and the times we were together meant so much to me. I could feel the happiness and warmth I get when I am around him. He was always there beside. Always. And memory after memory, only the good times came to me.
Until that one memory.
The night was darker than usual. It was as if the clouds had a character of its on. They were hiding away the stars from shining on us pedestrians. The street lamps have been under complaint for weeks but it never got fixed. The whole street was under one lamp light across the road, and even that was slowly dying.
Silence dominated the empty street. Not much vehicles passed by since it was very late in the night. Some cats made noises while searching through trashcans while the neighbourhood dogs howled after their late night meal. Midnight had passed and the moon was bright and round. From time to time the dripping noise of water could be heard from the public water fountain that had leaks for days. The slow and gentle cold breeze of the wind was calming and chilly at the same time. It was one haunted night in the streets of Busan.
"Rara, wait for me here, okay? I will be back in a few minutes. Don't go anywhere, okay?"
"Are we playing hide and seek?" I asked.
"No, we are not. We can't play hide and seek in the middle of the street Rara. It's also late in the night, we could get lost"
"But I'm scared. Can I come with you?"
"No Rara, you can't" he looked at my about to cry face. "Okay okay let's play hide and seek. Count till hundred and I will be right back. If I'm not back come find me is that okay?"
"Mmhm that's okay" I replied with a smile.
"Alright, be a good girl okay!"
I saw his fading figure that slowly disappeared from my sight. And it didn't take much time for me to start counting.
"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine...... hundred!" I opened my eyes to be greeted to nothing. There was complete darkness around me. The street was already dark with only one streetlamp to help the vehicles, and yet it somehow felt darker.
"Hobi..." I called with tears running down my little cheeks in complete fear. "Hobi.... where are you?"
A vehicle had quickly gone past the road and the headlight had for a split second shined on the face of the man who stood on the other side of the road. And in relief I could tell it was the man I was searching for.
"Hobi" I said with a wide smile, wiping the tears on my face and slowly walking towards the road. Every step I took were slow and my eyes never left the man that was waiting for me.
"Hobi?" I called again in doubt when he wouldn't move and stood there silently. Another vehicle went past me, and I had the chance to see his face again. I was right. It is him.
With a brighter smile than before I ran towards the other side of the road in hopes to be in the arms of the man I had been waiting for. My footsteps got faster, and I paced forward with not even the slightest bit of doubt. And just when I was in the middle of the road, a voice had shouted my name in terror behind me.
I turned back to see Hobi.
I turned ahead. The man was still there. But somehow, he didn't look like Hobi.
"RARA!!!" The voice behind me screamed. I only had a second to meet eyes with him again. A bright light had rushed towards me.
The light that I've repeatedly kept seeing.
As it got closer, I could see it split into two. It was a truck, racing towards me. My body was frozen on spot. And my little feet started to shiver.
I waited for it to throw me away.
However, just before the truck could prey over my body, a hand had wrapped around my shoulder and pushed me towards the pavement. We both fell on the hard ground and I could still feel his grip that only tightened on my shoulders.
My vision was getting blurry from the shock I experienced. The broken streetlamp above me had slowly started to flicker. And I noticed specs of white dots falling towards me.
It was the first snow.
With the snow falling on me, there was no way I could clearly see the man who had kneeled in front of me after releasing his grip. He was breathing heavily and had held onto his right arm painfully.
"RARA!" Hobi called and ran to hold me in his arms. He patted my back when I started to whimper and had his hands slowly run down my hair in assurance.
"Thank you" He said to the man that was still on the ground. This time he was continuously looking at his shivering hands. My head wasn't spinning anymore, and my vision was back to normal. The lights were flickering again and we both saw glimpses of his face.
Hobi moved a step ahead to see if he was okay. But the man kept acting out of ordinary. From his shivering hands he shifted his attention to his shoulder and slowly turned to see his back. And just then, he let out an awful scream.
Long, dark, deadly pair of wings had formed behind him. We both took a step back startled at the sight ahead. Hobi had tightened his grip on my hand, standing Infront while shielding me.
The man bent down, his forehead touching the ground as he continued to cry in pain. From the tip of one of his feathers was a fire that had started to spread across his wings. He did nothing but lay weak and scream his lungs out, as if he knew there was no way to stop it.
The breeze was not calm and suttle anymore. Our neighbourhood dogs were howling louder than before. The lights were flickering faster and more repeatedly. It's as if the whole street was a witness to this mysterious being and his painful laments.
Hobi was staring to get worried. He let go of my hand and proceeded to the man that was burning on fire.
"Are you okay? Should I- "
"NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!"
"But- "
"Please! You will be punished if you try to help me"
"What?"
"GO AWAY!" He growled. I held onto the hemp of my frock in complete terror and slowly kept calling for Hobi to come back to me. But he kept worrying about the man. Every feather of his ethereal wings had slowly burned until there was nothing left. He had loss all his strength and fainted on the road. His body was lying in the middle of the road and Hobi couldn't stand but rush to him immediately when he passed out. In a fraction of seconds, just when Hobi had placed his hand over the oblivious being, both of them,
Vanished into thin air.
I stood there, confused, paralyzed, scared and alone. The wind had carried a little delicate object to my side. I observed it dance with the wind and circle me a few times, as if asking me to hold the fragile thing.
It was a black feather.
My hands automatically moved forward to grasp it. But before me, someone else, taller, had held the feather from behind me.
"It could have been dangerous for you to touch this little girl" said the voice behind me.
I turned to see the owner of the said voice. My eyes first fell on his white shoes and white attire. He was taller than anyone I've ever seen and so my eyes slowly trailed till his face, but just before I could see him, a finger had been placed on the center of my forehead.
The world started to spin.
[End of Vision]
I woke up gasping for air. My chest felt heavy and there was still a slight pain lingering all over my body. When my eyes had opened completely, I noticed I was in our hospital gown.
"You're up" a voice spoke beside me.
"Dr. Namjoon?"
"Looks like you are okay. How many fingers am I holding?" he asked, coming closer to me which was a complete mistake.
"What did you do to me! You pushed me off the building!" I yelled, holding and shaking him by his collar.
"I was hoping after remembering your past you would forget about that" he replied, gently removing my hands from his collar. "But I guess not"
"My past? What are you-" a piercing pain hit my head that was followed by an irritating ringing noise, and I had recalled everything I dreamt off.
"That was-that-when I was seven"
"You remember your brother?" he asked.
My eyes were filled with tears just in the sudden thought, and my hands clenched towards my chest in pain. "I need to see him" I exclaimed, removing the IV drips from my wrist and removing the blankets over me.
"No, now is not the right time. You need to rest" Namjoon ordered, pushing my shoulders down.
"Don't even bother showing me your concern. You tried to kill me" from the heat building in my body, I could tell that my eyes were red, tears not hesitating to fall.
"I knew what I was doing, Dr. Minrae. I would not try to hurt you"
"I'm going and you can't stop me" I declared, walking towards the door.
"Did you see how Jimin lost his wings?" he asked, with a serious tone that made me freeze on spot.
"The man that had screamed in pain was Jimin?" I asked, my back still facing him.
"He sinned as a Demon who was given a task to complete. Jimin was sent to your timeline in the future to show his pledge towards the Demon kind after being a fallen angel. He failed miserably in doing so"
"How? What did he do that made him fail?"
"You have witnessed it yourself. You should be telling me, Doc"
"I-I'm not-"
"When your brother had tried to help the Demon in duty, he was sucked along with him into the timeline he was from. Which means he never existed in this timeline you are in. That is how you never recalled him"
"I don't understand"
"It's not that hard. We immortals have a long life to live. And time is different in different universes. The conversation I had with you a minute ago, is still alive in another dimension or universe. You humans call it the past"
"When Jimin failed to prove his devotion to the Demon realm, he was immediately sucked back into the past timeline. You brother, who was in contact with Jimin, was sucked into the void as well. That had completely erased his existence and memories in this universe or timeline you are from. And because he was a being from this timeline, your brother never aged until he has lived till the present we are in right now where his existence truly belonged"
"He has been alive for years!?"
"Nine hundred years above"
My eyes enlarged in shock.
"It was a punishment given to him for intervening"
"He barely did anything!!"
"The gods are not always merciful. When the timeline of a human's life is being changed by another divine being, the gods will not show mercy to anyone"
"How do I know Jimin's sin"
"It's simple and the center piece of your puzzle. Just think what happened before he had lost his wings and you will get your answer"
Namjoon stared at me helplessly and I didn't have the heart or patience to believe him or fall prey to any more of his tricks.
"Kim Namjoon" a sharp voice called. "You have broken a code of conduct from the law of Demons. We are here to take you back to serve your punishment. Follow us while we give you the chance to or else, we would have to restrain your feather"
Namjoon took the chance to look at me and sighed before saying. "Look what you made me do, Doc"
He followed the two figures dressed completely in black and just before exiting the door he looked back "I'll be back after my punishment. So don't do anything too fun while I'm gone" he commented with a wink.
Immediately after Namjoon was gone, Jungkook had entered, closing the door.
"Are you okay?" he asked, worryingly.
"I'm fine" I replied, half-heartedly.
"Did you know that you were also a part of this whole mystery novel!?" I asked Jungkook, angrily.
"Pardon?"
"Forget it. I'm going to go see Hobi"
"Who? Wait Dr Jin said you must rest-"
Jungkook paused the minute I had slid open the door. Infront of me was a peculiar man. He had his eyes meeting the floor but he slowly moved his head up to meet eyes with me. The vison had started to reply again, and I could see glimpses of his face from back then. It was then that the puzzle Namjoon was building upon me had started making sense. His words kept ringing in my head while I continued to stare back into his eyes.
When the timeline of a human's life is being changed by another divine being, the gods will not show mercy to anyone.
It's simple and the center piece of your puzzle. Just think what happened before he had lost his wings and you will get your answer
Jimin had saved me from the doors of death. My mortal body was supposed to see its end on that day as a seven-year-old girl who faced a tragic death by a hit and run truck. But my fate was overturned by a Demon. And that Demon was standing right infront of me and I wasn't the slightest bit surprised how he was not in his cell in the go down. His eyes gleamed golden and a smirk ran up his face. It didn't take much time for me to realize he had already read the thoughts in my head.
I know the truth behind his laments and pains.
In the end I was a part of this repeating history afterall.
Because my life, costed him his wings.
ââââ
A/N- Your thoughts?