20 Drunken Meeting and Reminiscing

Later on in the afternoon.

Taehyung set out for 8th Heaven, where the God of War resided.

The God of War's residence was similar to its owner. Black stone walls surrounded the palace, making it look more like a fortress preparing for a siege rather than a place where one lived. Towering guards, dressed in full dark armour, were stationed every five metres apart. Each carried a purple tipped spear and sword on their hip.

Once Taehyung took a closer look, he found that they weren't alive. Reaching out with his power, he sensed the same power from Guan Gong's sword on the night of the gathering.

Hollow knights working as mere guards. For a God of War, this was just decoration. There was no-one for a God of War to be afraid of, towering over even the majority of Gods and Goddesses.

Taehyung stood in front of the gate, which automatically swung open with ease, allowing him inside.

Cherry trees filled the front courtyard, frozen in time, each blossom in perfect bloom. Taehyung suddenly had a flashback to the nightmare.

One of the dark guards stood in front of Taehyung and bowed, before motioning for Taehyung to follow. The two went through countless hallways full of twists and turns, before heading towards a well-maintained garden.

There were no cherry blossoms here. A small lake stretched out, delicate lotuses blooming. As Taehyung walked past, he noticed little flashes of colour. Koi fish.

Ahead, a dark mass laid on the grass in front of the lake, several bottles of what seemed to be alcohol beside it. Once they drew closer, a cloud of wine stench filled his nostrils. Taehyung coughed quietly, fanning at the strong fumes.

Taehyung didn't have to be Sherlock Holmes in order to deduce who the dark mass was.

The dark guard held no hesitation as it kicked the fearsome God of War.

Guan Gong stirred, dragging himself into a sitting position.

"Wha time is it? This one has not drunk enough," he slurred his words.

His bleary eyes swept over Taehyung. Muttering, he reached nearby for another bottle. Finding that it was empty, he crushed it in one hand, causing glass to spill everywhere.

Another dark guard brought over a new bottle of wine. Guan Gong took a long swig.

He stared pointedly at Taehyung. "Well? Why have you called to meet with this one?"

Taehyung moved closer.

"To ask some questions."

Guan Gong frowned. "What kind of questions? Spit it out, this one doesn't have all the time in the world."

Taehyung deliberated. His heart leapt to his mouth as he took a deep breath to calm himself down and gather his courage.

"Does the name Park Jimin ring a bell?" Taehyung said, his calm facade cracking, the nervousness spilling out from within the cracks.

"Park Ji– what?" Guan Gong mumbled incoherently and took another swig.

The seed of hope Taehyung had planted shriveled. However, this was only the first question. To be fair, Taehyung had no idea whether this idea would even work, but it was better to try than to regret it later on.

"BTS? Bangtan Sonyeondan?" he pressed on, much to the confusion of Guan Gong.

Guan Gong held up his drink. "Look, you're even drunker than me and you haven't taken a sip."

His eyes turned thoughtful as he tipped the drink at Taehyung.

"Are you talking about the person you were looking for?"

Taehyung nodded. Guan Gong seemed to be deep in thought, thinking about memories from underneath his hazy state of drunkenness.

"The person this one is looking for is long dead."

Taehyung grimaced. There was no need to guess at who the person Guan Gong was looking for. His dead sister, whom he possibly killed.

If asking questions didn't jog Guan Gong's memory...then maybe singing would? Maybe hearing the lyrics and melody of one of BTS's songs would help.

Taehyung sat down next to Guan Gong, and slowly started singing 'I Need U'. It was the first song that came to mind. His voice was a little out of tune and rusty, but he kept going on.

"Because of you, I'm becoming ruined."

Taehyung's voice shook slightly, making the end of the line a bit faster than it usually was. His heart thudded hard in his chest, praying that this would work.

Guan Gong turned his head to stare curiously at Taehyung. Since when had Jin Tai Heng been able to speak another language?

Taehyung took another deep breath before he continued on, his voice stronger than before.

"I wanna stop, I don't want you anymore."

Guan Gong interjected, "What does it mean?"

He sounded a bit more sober, so Taehyung took that as a good sign. He translated the lyrics and went back to singing. When Guan Gong heard the translation, the light in his eyes dimmed. He nursed his drink as he turned back and stared across the lake. Taehyung's heart plummeted, but he was still undaunted.

"I can't do it, this sucks."

Still no change in Guan Gong, still frozen and nursing his now-forgotten drink.

"Please don't give me any excuses."

Taehyung racked his head. He jumped up, catching the attention of Guan Gong, breaking Guan Gong's frozen state. Taehyung started dancing the first section of 'Boy With Luv', feeling like a monkey being placed at a circus and told to dance for entertainment.

Guan Gong guffawed, taking another long swig of his drink. The light in his eyes came back.

"Jin Tai Heng, have you come here to entertain me? Well, consider me entertained!" he said.

Taehyung let out another deep sigh and flopped back down onto the grass(of course, making sure he was far away from the glass shards).

Guan Gong looked thoughtful. "You do look a lot like her. The way you sung reminded me of her too."

Taehyung gave a small smile. Didn't seem like Guan Gong knew who...killed her. At the same time, peering into a face that was so familiar, yet so unfamiliar, was an uncomfortable scenario for Taehyung. Guan Gong looked so similar to Jimin, yet he acted so differently.

"You want to know a secret?" Guan Gong smirked, and leaned closer to Taehyung. Silver blood dripped from the wounds the glass left.

"I gave half my Godhood to your sister."

Guan Gong said this with a sad frown on his face, lost in reminiscing in his memories of Jin Ying Hua. Unconsciously, he dropped referring 'this one' as himself.

"Turned her blood like mine. When I saw her body, her hair had turned the same colour too," he whispered.

Taehyung was shocked from the revelation. Gods themselves were hard to kill, so it made sense how Guan Gong could split his Godhood and share it with Jin Ying Hua. On another hand, it showed how in love Guan Gong was with her.

Thinking about her, even when hundreds of years had passed. Was this the reason why Guan Gong was never sober? Drinking to forget; never forgetting in the end.

It sounded like a deep love.

But, could this even be called love, or was it obsession?

Taehyung bravely asked, "Why don't you get revenge?"

Guan Gong looked at him sadly, his purple eyes swirling with regret. "You think I haven't tried?"

All of a sudden, the sad frown on his face was wiped away, turning cold and hard.

"You have overstayed your welcome. This one wants time to themselves. Go," he said harshly, urging Taehyung to leave.

Taehyung obeyed. The dark guard that stood nearby the whole time guided Taehyung out. Nodding his thanks, Taehyung left the palace. Once Taehyung had left his sights, the dark guard went back into the palace.

Unseen to anyone, the dark guard went into an empty room and took off its helmet. A refined looking scholar appeared, his phoenix eyes cold. Snapping his fingers, the armour melted away. Shades of muted red and gold appeared.

From the roof of a courtyard near the lake, a ruby red dragon with a white mane and golden claws flew away.