Chapter 1: Desiderium

There’s nothing. There’s completely nothing. Nothing but the abysmal darkness pulling him down and suffocating him as he struggles to breathe. Nothing but the void and emptiness of the heart, nothing to hold, simply nothing. He reaches out to that eternal vast of emptiness, searching for any kind of anchor, of any form. Just for comfort, for relief, for assurance.

Why is he here again?

He doesn’t remember.

Then at that very moment, a blinding light pierces through. His eyes shut in reflex before he opens them again. A ray of light cuts through the cosmic darkness and a silhouette comes.

Who is he?

What does he want from him?

A hand reaches out for him and his body moves in its own accord. Reaching out to that outstretched hand. The moment their fingertips touched, warmth spread. He felt safe, he felt secured, relieved, assured.

That face, it’s familiar yet foreign at the same time. He’s seen it somewhere before but he can’t determine where, yet at the same time he can. That warmth, something he has embraced for a long time yet hasn’t touched since. Like a paradox, like a mystery, contrasting and conflicting.

“Will you form a contract with me?”

Before him was a deception.

“I saw the same dream again.” Seokjin spoke softly but it was heard despite the rowdiness of the crowd. His companions immediately turned silent and all the attention diverted towards him. They all had worried glances before one decided to speak up.

“Hyung, you’ve been having that dream for years now.” It was Namjoon, a wise friend of his, “Do you still think it means something?”

“I don’t know.” Seokjin shook his head, “Every time, I’d dismiss it as a simple dream. But it can’t be helped. I’ve been having it for years and it feels real. And it feels like, someone’s calling for me.”

“The shadow whose face you can’t remember?” Taehyung offered as a suggestion to which Seokjin nodded to.

“I know, I felt that his face was familiar yet every time I wake up.” Seokjin bit his lips, “I can’t remember him.”

“Do you think it’s a Familiar?” Yoongi, the usually silent one spoke.

This caught the attention of Seokjin who looked up, “A Familiar?”

Yoongi shrugged, “Who knows. Maybe your Familiar has been calling for you through your dreams. Just like before I met Jimin, I had a repeating dream similar to yours for a whole week.”

“But it’s been years since I’ve dreamt of it.” Seokjin exclaimed before shaking his head, “Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe it didn’t mean anything.”

“Who knows, hyung.” Jimin smiled, “We all have different ways of searching or calling for our partners. Maybe it’s a vision of some sort.”

Seokjin sighed at that before dismissively saying, “Okay, let’s forget about this now. Today’s the Familiar search, right?”

“Yeah,” Taehyung grinned happily before slipping an arm over Seokjin’s shoulders. “It’s my first time attending it. Do you think I can find a Familiar that will respond to me, hyung?”

“I’m sure you can, Tae.” Seokjin smiled, ruffling the orange-haired kid’s head, “Just believe in yourself.”

“You too, hyung.” Hoseok smiled, “Believe in yourself. You might find your Familiar this year.”

“Hopefully.” Seokjin sighed dejectedly. His friends patted his back for comfort and he smiled at all of them in return. He’s grateful for all of them.

It was a world run by magic. By history, the world was ruled by tyrant kings that fought for territory. It broke out in war and everything was destroyed. It was as they had said—the end of the world. However the heavens blessed humanity with a second chance. Earth was restored but it wasn’t quite the same. Rules were changed, some of its features were changed too.

Gone were the individual prowess each human were born to possess and humanity was divided into two classes—the Regalias and the Familiars. Regalia is what people call the controller, the master. While the Familiar is what people call the doers, the servants.

Each Regalia and Familiar were both destined to be together since birth, like soulmates. However not all Regalias and Familiars ended up marrying each other. Other Regalias married Regalias and some Familiars loved Familiars. There were no standard for love, everything was renewed and any type of relationships were accepted.

However, peace is a temporary thing. While people had accepted the new norms, some had disagreed. Some had demanded equality between Regalias and Familiars. Some had disagreed at the unfairness that has been marked to them since birth. And so, some familiars refused to bow to their Regalias and even kill them despite forming contracts and bonds with them.

While some Familiars were caught, imprisoned and executed for their acts, some were still out for the hunt. Even in this newly formed world, chaos still found themselves in and the world, once again, were divided into legions.

Each legion held an event called a Familiar Search. This is when if the Regalias and Familiars reach the age of twenty, they were allowed to attend the event where they search for their destined partners. No one knows how these things happen but they just do.

They say that when you find your destined partner, you will know by instinct. That both of you would just naturally gravitate towards each other.

And yet Kim Seokjin had joined the events for four years, and he is yet to find his Familiar. This formed a lot of questions in him and he thought up several scenarios. What if his Familiar was still not of age? There were scenarios like these—an example were Yoongi and Jimin.

Like him, Yoongi didn’t have a Familiar until the three months ago when the meet up with the neighboring city came and he met with the chief’s son. Jimin, unexpectedly was his Familiar.

And with that given scenario, he wondered if his Familiar is found in another city, another country or in another continent. He vaguely wonders if he should start traveling to other places as an option to look for his Familiar—like how the others had done. Last year, his friend named Hyosang left the country to search for his partner and he hasn’t heard of him in a long time.

But the option he was scared of the most, was the thought that his Familiar might already be dead. Maybe he lived in a relatively dangerous side of the world and had died in chaotic fights that had slowly started all around the world.

As soon as the thought came through him, he tried to shake it off away. He didn’t want to think of it. But it can’t be helped, it’s possible.
 

“Hyung, I’m so excited!” Beside him was Taehyung who was twice happier and more hype than his usual bubbly self. But he understood the younger’s excitement. He had been as excited as the younger on his first search only to have been disappointed at the fact that he couldn’t find his Familiar.

“Break a leg, Tae. And let’s hope you’ll find your Familiar.” Seokjin smiled.

“You too, hyung.” The younger offered him his signature rectangle smile before heading off with a wave once the event finally started.

In their small group, the only ones without a partner were Taehyung and Seokjin. Taehyung was the youngest one out of all of them and he was finally on his first search. Seokjin, however, has been searching for so long.

He passed by an old woman scanning him up and down before shaking his head and heading the other way. Seokjin silently hoped that he wouldn’t face the same fate as the old woman—growing old still not finding a partner.

It’s not that he thinks lowly of those without partners. It’s just that, it’s kind of lonely. And Seokjin doesn’t want to be alone.

Surely, he has his friends. But in the end, all of them have a partner of their own, and he’s just alone. Yoongi has Jimin, Hoseok has Namjoon. Taehyung still has not found his partner but the kid is still young and he has a long way to go.

He tries not to hope because he’d end up hurting if he finds out that he doesn’t have a partner again—like now. The event had ended and as expected, he hasn’t found his. At the corner of his eye, he sees the old woman hugging an old man who looked like he came from another country just to look for her.

He smiled for them, Good for you. You finally found them. You deserve it after a long wait.

“Jin-hyung!” At the mention of his name, he turns and his heart erupted of both the feeling happiness and envy at the sight of Taehyung holding someone’s hand. It seems that he found someone.

It was a girl. Taehyung ran to him with his hand connected to hers. “Jin-hyung! I’ve found my Regalia!”

“Regalia?” Seokjin blinked, his head tilted to the side, “You’re a Familiar? But all this time, I thought you were—“

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it too. But look.” Taehyung rolled his long sleeves up to reveal a red mark on his wrist—the color of a Familiar. While the blushing girl had a blue mark on hers—a Regalia.

“That’s surprising.” Seokjin blinked, What if I get surprised to find myself a Familiar too? I mean, I only relied on a fortune teller but in the end, you would never really know. “But anyway, I’m glad for you Tae! You found yours!”

“Thanks, hyung!” Taehyung exclaimed before introducing, “By the way, her name is you .”

“you,” Seokjin tried the name and he smiled, “That’s a nice name. I’m glad that you became Taehyung’s Regalia. I’m Seokjin by the way, nice to meet you.”

The girl blushed at Seokjin’s outstretched hand before he slowly raised hers to shake with him.

“She’s lovely, Tae.” Seokjin laughed, “Take good care of her.”

“Of course, hyung!” Taehyung animatedly did a hand salute, “It’s my job as her Familiar!”

“Seokjin-ssi—can I call you that?” you asked politely.

“Call me anything you’re comfortable with.” Seokjin smiled before he winked flirtingly, “It can be Seokjin, Jin or Oppa if you’d like.”

“Hyung!” Taehyung screeched jokingly as Seokjin laughed.

“I was just kidding, of course.”

“J-Jin-oppa then.” you said, before she smiled, “You’re so kind. Your partner must be lucky to have you.”

Taehyung’s eyes widened at that before he looked at Seokjin. you was confused before realization finally hit and she covered before apologizing, “Sorry, that was rude of me. I didn’t mean to—“

“It’s okay. I’m used to it.” Seokjin smiled before he offered, “Anyways, we should call the others and celebrate! Our youngest finally has a partner! The others should definitely meet her, she’s just adorable.”

That night, the others had celebrated you and Taehyung’s success in finding each other. Everyone had talked and got to know you and they all liked her.  Seokjin as well liked her and knew that she deserved Taehyung and vice versa. It was still their first day and yet the two were acting like old married couple being sweet each other and making everyone gag.

“I’m going to have diabetes just by watching you two!” Namjoon complained but Yoongi then exclaimed how he’s not supposed to say that when he was as disgustingly sweet with Hoseok when they first met.

Seokjin laughed along as he agreed with Yoongi. He was happy for Taehyung but deep inside, he was disappointed and jealous. All his friends now have a partner. The only one left is him.

Before, while Yoongi would always be with Jimin and Namjoon and Hoseok being sickeningly sweet with each other, he’d have Taehyung accompany him. Now, Taehyung has you and he can’t help but feel left out. It’s not like he didn’t like you in fact, he really adored her. But he can’t help it.

I’m alone now.

He won’t lie. Although he feels nothing more than a platonic feeling towards Taehyung, he was slightly hoping that the other would be his destined partner when he comes of age but it ends up that he’s not.

After a long night, everything ends and the rest decide to finally come home. Taehyung agreed to walk you to her home. He planned to give her time to spend with her parents before they actually move to live together like a typical Regalia and Familiar pair.

He’s left alone in his house, only the silence ringing in his ear and what was left of the party. He moves to slowly clean the mess the others left, all the dishes, the disarranged furniture, the banners and confetti a mess in the ground. He’s used to cleaning up after the others but sometimes he wonders how it would be if he had someone with him.

Someone who’d stay with him, who’d help him clean all of this up and well, just someone he’d be with. It’s okay if his Familiar won’t be involved romantically with him; he can be like the others—simply friends with their partners. All he wants is to simply find the one he’s contracted with, bonded with, destined with.

By the time he’s finished with all the chores, he sighs, “Maybe I should sleep?”

It’s a tiring and disappointing day for him and perhaps he should at least reward himself with a sleep after a warm bath and hot milk. And so he did. Sighing contentedly as he pleased himself in the warm bathtub, eyes closed and his mind thinking vaguely of what happened throughout the day.

Maybe I really should follow Hyosang’s example. To leave the country in search of my Familiar. He contemplated, But what if it’s too dangerous. As of now, several Familiars are out for the kill. What if I’d be killed during the travel and my familiar might end up growing old looking for me without knowing anything.

Seokjin sighed, speaking to himself, “Should I wait here or should I go?”

He’s afraid of the dangers and consequences of traveling to find his partner. But he also desires to meet his other half. And in order to find him, he should act.

“That’s enough.” Seokjin muttered to himself, “I should just retire for the night or I’ll catch a cold.”

He stood from the bath and drained the water before changing into comfortable clothes and sleeping for the night.

“He’s extremely dangerous.” The Northern Border’s General said with his Familiar nodding beside him, “ It took the lives of thousands of trained men and their familiars to get him and that wasn’t enough for he even killed two of my strongest men and a familiar.”

“That much?” the other man blinked, his head turning to see the young man—probably nineteen or twenty  frozen inside a glass—put to sleep. He feels a shiver down his spine thinking how such a young familiar could single-handedly cause destruction, “Did he kill his Regalia as well?”

“I don’t know.” The Northern General shook his head, “But seeing that he doesn’t have a mark, we assume he still hasn’t found his Regalia. But at this point, he can’t. He might end up killing his partner and we can’t afford to let another life get wasted in his hands.”

“A demon.” The General’s familiar gritted as he glared at the man in the glass. He held so much anger towards the captured one for killing his subordinates.

“Behave yourself, Sehun.” The general instructed his partner.

“But Luhan-hyung. Why?” Sehun asked, “Why didn’t we just kill him off?”

“It was the higher up’s orders. They say it would be a waste to throw away such a strong instrument.”

“The higher ups said so?” Sehun ws starting to see red, “ Why would they say that? They haven’t seen how much destruction th-this demon has done.”

“Who knows. They probably hope to control him in the future.” Luhan sighed, “It sounds wrong but in the end, we just follow their orders. We can’t meddle in their decisions.”

“So it’s like you’re saying that we’ll let ourselves be controlled like puppets?” the familiar’s hands curled up in fists, “That’s it’s okay to follow their orders even when it’s so wrong—that we let this demon live and just forget the lives of those who died just to capture him. And when he waes up again, when he escapes—then what? We sacrifice lives again?”

“If that’s what the higher ups want, then it will be.”

“H-how can you just say that with a straight face?” Sehun’s eyes widened.

“Let’s not talk about this here.” Luhan sighed before he faced the other man who listened to them, “The higher ups wanted to leave him here because your city and people are known to have the greatest protection and the tightest security. So if any case, he escapes or if someone decides to release him for their personal selfishness, you guys can prevent that.”

“I’m glad that the higher ups think of it that way.” The other man said, “We’ll be taking him then, since we really don’t have another option, don’t we?”

“I’m leaving him up to you, Kai.” Luhan said before he dispersed in thin air, teleporting back to his place.

Kai stared at the figure behind the glass, the captive held strong features—sharp jaw line, toned arms, dark purple hair parting at the sides. He sighed, “Such a waste. You could’ve been a good soldier if you didn’t defy the higher ups. You could’ve met a regalia and become a strong duo.”

“But it’s not possible now.” Kai sighed before he called for his close companion—Kyungsoo Do. “Please call Lay and Kris for me; I’m giving them a job.”

It was a different scenario. The place was filled with blood, screaming—anguished and afraid. The sounds of blades, gunlocks, gunshots and searing cosmic prowess. The moon was red, like blood. And the sky was pitch black, not a single star in sight. The place scented of smoke, fire, blood and the rotting flesh.

A dream, surely it isn’t.

Smell, you can’t use your sense of smell in a dream—yet Seokjin can smell it. The odor in the air, the pollution—the scent of chaos.

Where am I?

Seokjin wondered vaguely and as he blinked, the scenarios changed. He was running? He could hear the sound of footsteps running in a hurry, panting sharply—wait, this isn’t his voice. But he’s the one running right.

He turned to the right and someone jumped with a sword in hand, ready to slash him—but he moved? He moved with skill. A ball of fire summoned from his fingertips and he burned the man before him.

How?

The next thing that happened was when he was surrounded by a group of heavily armed men—Regalias and their Familiars. And they all stared at him with hatred.  One spoke, “Give up! You cannot fight against all of us.”

What are they talking about?

“That’s what you think.” A voice said—it’s not his. But from where? No, it’s not his voice. But it’s familiar. It’s that familiar voice in his dream. Then all of a sudden it clicked. This is not him. This is not his vision. He’s seeing through someone else’s eyes, is he?

And in that blur of a moment, he felt a surge of power course through his veins—or the person whom he’s sharing senses with—and everything surrounding him was destroyed in a blinding light. He’s immensely strong—so strong that it was to be feared.

Seokjin was afraid.

Who was this person he’s sharing sight with? Does he know that Seokjin can see what he sees? And all of a sudden everything faded to black.

“Hey, you. Can you hear me?”

“W-who are you?”

“I am your Familiar.”

“My familiar?” Seokjin was greatly confused, “W-where are you?”

But there was no more reply.

“H-hey! Wait!”

Seokjin woke up panting. He was drenched in sweat as he searched around the room for a different presence. Before he shook his head, “W-what was that dream? It’s different this time.” 

Hi. Yes. It's another JinKook fic because I just love them. Sorry if this one's too long okay? Hope you guys liked this. Jinkook <3