CHAPTER 2
Astimeon
You have suffered enough at their hands...
Astimeon
Fear not, for I shall be the one to guide you now.... *Put his palm on Taehyung tired eyes to sleep, as he smiled sadly at his broken child*
A voice, unfamiliar yet gentle, echoed in the emptiness.
It felt like a distant light cutting through the shadows that had long consumed me. For a fleeting moment, the weight on my heart lessened—though it did nothing to mend the pieces of my shattered soul.
This must be my seventh life.
The thought lingered as I slowly rose, sitting upright in the stillness of my chambers.
My gaze drifted to the window, where the pale morning light bled softly through the glass. I sat there, unmoving, watching the world stir beyond the fragile barrier—silent, as if afraid that any motion might shatter this fragile moment of peace.
Kim Taehyung
(...I'm tried...)
My eyes held no spark as I slowly rose from the bed. The chamber felt cold, but I paid it no mind.
The chamber felt cold, but I paid it no mind. Step by step, I drifted beyond the room’s confines, moving through the quiet halls like a shadow.
Beneath the silver glow of the full moon, I sat on the bench, gazing upwards as if the light alone could piece together the fragments of my soul.
Unbeknownst to Taehyung, someone had seen him slip away into the night. A figure approached, draped in shadows, with a thick blanket in hand.
...
It is long past midnight… why are you not asleep?
His voice was calm—gentle, yet laced with an edge that kept others at a distance.
Taehyung shifted his gaze to Jin, greeting him with a tone no warmer than his own.
Kim Taehyung
Good evening… Duchess Kim.
A small nod accompanied his words, respectful yet detached. Jin lowered himself onto the bench beside him, and together they looked out over the moonlit sky in silence.
Kim Seokjin
You have yet to answer my question.
Kim Taehyung
I cannot sleep… something lingers on my mind.
There was a veil of mystery in his tone. Jin could sense it—something was different about the boy tonight. The subtle shifts in his expression, the distant glimmer in his eyes… it was unlike him.
The cold wind brushed against Jin’s skin, seeping into his bones. Yet when he glanced at Taehyung, the young man sat still, unbothered by the chill. His face betrayed no discomfort, as though he were sculpted from the very stone beneath them.
Kim Seokjin
You must hold great affection for the moon.
Kim Taehyung
I am… the moon is everything to me.
A faint trace of sorrow laced his words, catching Jin’s attention.
He had never been close to Taehyung. The boy was not his by blood, and truthfully, Jin held no affection for him. Yet, he had never been cruel either. Ignoring him had seemed like enough. They rarely spoke, and when they did, it was never for long.
But tonight, as he sat beside him beneath the moon’s gentle gaze, Jin felt the quiet weight Taehyung carried—a burden left unspoken. And though the words remained unvoiced, he could feel them hanging in the air between them.
Author: I might finish thid piece first as I felt this story wouldn't leave my mind... And i think this story might only take 100 chapters hehee
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