Chapter 1 — The Night the Prince Fell

Exile & Betrayal

The Shadow Throne was built on blood, but tonight it was drowning in betrayal.

Kim Taehyung, Prince of Shadows, stood shackled in silver, his wrists scorched by runes that pulsed with a cruel glow. His once-obsidian crown lay shattered at his feet, the jagged pieces glittering like broken promises on the floor.

Above him, the High Council sat like vultures, their faces stiff with false righteousness. They were cowards, every one of them. They feared him, and it showed in the way they dared not look into his eyes for long.

“You have ruled with cruelty,” one elder declared, his voice echoing against the black marble walls. “You have lost the trust of your people.”

Taehyung’s lips twisted into a dangerous smirk. “Trust?” His voice was velvet, threaded with venom. “Fear is stronger than trust. Fear keeps the realm from crumbling. And without me, you will drown in your own weakness.”

Gasps rippled through the chamber. A few councilmen shifted in unease, but no one interrupted him. They wouldn’t dare. Even chained, even dethroned, Taehyung was too dangerous to silence.

“You strip me of my throne,” Taehyung continued, golden eyes gleaming like molten fire, “but know this—shadows are patient. Shadows never forget. I will return. And when I do…” His smirk sharpened, sending a chill through the room. “…you will beg for mercy you will never receive.”

The eldest councilor banged his staff against the floor. “Enough! By decree of the Council, you are exiled from the Shadow Realm. You shall wander the mortal world until time consumes you. This is your punishment.”

Exile, not execution. Of course. They feared his death curse. They feared what his last breath could unleash.

Chains rattled as soldiers dragged him from the throne room. The hall that had once echoed with his footsteps, once bowed to his command, now echoed with the sound of his fall.

Under the blood-red moon, the gates of the Shadow Realm shut behind him. Taehyung lifted his chin, cold fury burning through his veins.

They thought exile would destroy him.

They had no idea—they had only set him free.

---

The Mortal World

Days bled into nights as Taehyung roamed the mortal world. His silk robes had torn, his crown destroyed, but his pride remained untouchable. Shadows clung to him like loyal beasts, whispering vengeance.

On the seventh night, he heard it.

Chains. A muffled cry. The stench of blood.

He followed the sound into a ruined village, where houses burned to ash and corpses rotted in the dirt. There, beneath a crumbling statue of forgotten gods, a boy knelt in chains.

He was young—his body bruised, lips split, wrists raw from the bite of iron. Yet his eyes, when they lifted, were not broken. They were defiant, sharp as blades despite the blood dripping down his chin.

Something in the air shifted. Taehyung felt it. So did the shadows. A pulse of power, faint but undeniable, stirred from the boy.

The prince’s boots crunched against the ash as he approached. The boy glared at him, unflinching.

“What are you staring at?” he rasped, spitting blood to the side.

Taehyung crouched before him, golden eyes glinting like a predator sizing up prey. “A wild thing,” he murmured, tilting the boy’s chin up with a finger. “But not just any wild thing. Name.”

The boy’s jaw clenched. For a moment, Taehyung thought he would resist. Then, through gritted teeth, he whispered: “Jungkook.”

The name slid into Taehyung’s mind like fate itself. His memory stirred with the Oracle’s prophecy whispered long ago—

Your ruin will be your salvation. He carries the blood of gods.

Taehyung’s smirk returned, sharper this time. “Jungkook.” He let the name roll off his tongue, savoring it. “You don’t belong here.”

“And you do?” Jungkook shot back, his voice hoarse but steady.

A low chuckle spilled from Taehyung’s lips, dark and dangerous. “No. But I decide where you belong. And from this moment forward, you belong to me.”

With a flick of his hand, the shadows surged forward, breaking Jungkook’s chains like they were threads. The boy stumbled, too weak to stand, and Taehyung caught him without hesitation.

Their eyes locked—Jungkook’s wide and burning, Taehyung’s smoldering with something unreadable.

And then—

The ground trembled.

A circle of runes ignited beneath Jungkook’s feet, glowing golden with divine fury. Chains of light reformed around his wrists, searing through Taehyung’s shadows. The boy screamed as the magic surged through him, his veins burning with power not meant for mortals.

Taehyung staggered back, shadows hissing, recoiling from the divine light. His smirk twisted into fascination as he watched Jungkook’s eyes flash gold.

“Well,” Taehyung murmured, chest rising with excitement. “It seems my wild thing is far more dangerous than I thought.”

---

The Awakening

The golden runes pulsed brighter, threatening to consume the boy whole. Jungkook’s body trembled violently, blood trickling from his nose as he fought against the divine chains holding him captive.

Taehyung’s shadows hissed at his back, warning him to retreat. But he didn’t move. His golden eyes blazed with hunger—curiosity, obsession, and something darker.

This boy… this mortal… was no accident.

The Oracle’s words echoed again: He carries the blood of gods.

Taehyung stepped closer, ignoring the searing heat of divine magic. “Jungkook,” he said softly, almost like a vow. “Your blood is mine. And no god will keep you from me.”

The divine chains cracked. Shadows surged. And in that moment, Taehyung realized the truth—

If the Council ever discovered what this boy was, the war he dreamed of would come sooner than he could prepare for.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to let Jungkook go.

The boy screamed, golden light bursting from his chest—

And everything went black.

---

Cliffhanger Ending

When the light faded, Taehyung stood over Jungkook’s unconscious body, his lips curling into a dark smile.

“Mine.”

---

🌙 Teaser for Chapter 2 — The Boy with God’s Blood

When Jungkook awakens, he finds himself bound not by chains, but by Taehyung’s shadows—his freedom an illusion, his fate sealed. But what terrifies him most is not the prince’s power… it is the way Taehyung looks at him, like a predator who has finally found his perfect prey.

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