The Bloom After Blood (Taehyung Centric)

At Elarion:

The first thing Mina noticed when she woke up was the stillness.

The alley was quiet, too quiet. The wooden crates where she and Han-sung had curled up were cold and empty beside her.

Her heart skipped.

"Han-sung?" she whispered, sitting up fast.

No answer.

She looked around the alley. Behind the broken cart. Under the tarp they used as a blanket.

Gone.

Panic began to churn low in her stomach. She stood quickly, brushing dirt from her skirt and slinging her bag across her shoulder.

He wouldn't have just left.

He wouldn't leave without telling her.

Unless... someone took him.

The city was already moving when she stepped into the streets. Morning had just begun, but the market square was alive, vendors calling, pots boiling, dogs barking.

She weaved through the crowd, her eyes scanning every corner. Every boy who moved too quickly. Every figure in torn clothes.

She checked the temple first. Maybe he went there early. But the kind woman with the tired eyes just shook her head.

"No boy came in this morning, Mina. You alright, sweetheart?"

She nodded quickly, forcing a smile. "Just wondering."

Then she tried behind the bakery. Nothing.

Then the side alleys near the water barrels. Then the old carpenter's yard.

Nothing.

By mid-morning, her throat was dry and her palms were sweating. Her mind kept whispering worst-case thoughts:

He got caught.

The guards took him.

They hurt him.

She knows that the guards come every morning to pick some servants from the stray kids. But she also knows what they are capable of doing. She doesn't want Han-sung to live the nightmare she has lived.

She didn't know much about him. But she knew enough to worry. His skin was too soft. His voice was too gentle. His nature, too soft. In her eyes he was too innocent.

And Mina knew what the world did to people like that.

They break them until there's nothing left. And Mina? She saw her younger, innocent, selfless side in him.

By afternoon, she was back at the temple, helping sweep the floors. Her legs ached. Her stomach growled. But she kept moving.

Every now and then, she'd sneak glances at the palace gates across the river. Every servant that walked out. Every delivery boy. Every new face.

But not him.

She didn't see him.

The sun started dipping lower. The streets began to change. Market shouts turned to drunk laughter. The smell of bread turned into cheap ale.

Still no Taehyung.

By the time evening came, Mina's hope was dimming. She wandered back toward the alley where they first met, just in case. Just one more check.

And there, like a ghost from a memory, he sat.

In the same spot. Same wall. Knees pulled to his chest. A cloth bundle in his lap, unopened.