Yoongi sat at his throne, waiting. Today was the day; he had finally done it.

 

It had taken him no less than two months, mortal time, but he had done it. Jimin was going to be his.

 

None of his usual resources had given him much information, so he had to turn to the more dusty and dangerous corners of his library. He had almost given up hope, ready to content himself with the fact that Jimin would just come to him every day until the beautiful boy became old and reached the end of his life. The thought had stung Yoongi in a way he was long unused to, and he became much more motivated to find an answer.

 

And an answer, he found.

 

So, he sat, waiting for Jimin to come to him.

 

He thought of how much different things would be, once he turned Jimin immortal like him. He would finally have someone else to share this huge castle with, someone to talk to that isn’t just there wanting something from Yoongi. He would finally have someone to help him manage the massive amounts of stuff that just piled up, day in and day out. He would have someone to help him sort things, and to read with, and to listen to music with…

 

Yoongi perked up when the large wooden door opened, smiling wide when he saw Jimin walk in, just as he had done the very first day.

 

Instead of repeating the same thing he had been since that first time, this time Yoongi excitedly gave Jimin his memory, and waited for the reaction—not immediately casting his usual spell.

 

Jimin stood there, shocked, as he always was for this part. He stared at Yoongi, his pretty brown eyes wide, making Yoongi feel weak.

 

“You…you saved me?” Jimin whispered, subconsciously moving closer to Yoongi.

 

“Yes, I…I did. But, I had to take the memory away, as regretful as it is. You were just a child, and I couldn’t risk the entire village finding out about my magic. It was too dangerous,” Yoongi explained, hoping Jimin wouldn’t be too mad at him.

 

“I can’t believe… this whole time, it’s been you? The ‘scary God of all things lost’ that everyone talks about?”

 

“Scary?” Yoongi frowned. He didn’t really care what the rest of the villagers thought of him, but he didn’t want Jimin to be afraid of him.

 

“I mean…I don’t think you’re scary,” Jimin told him, grabbing his arm. Yoongi almost tore it away, not used to the touch, but he let it go. “I think you’re just…lonely.”

 

Yoongi stared at the boy, not knowing what to say to that. It was a ridiculous thought; Yoongi was a God, an immortal, he could have anything he wanted, in theory. Yet, he was lonely.

 

“Well, I won’t be lonely anymore. I want you to join me,” Yoongi stated matter-of-factly, tilting his chin up. “I want to make you immortal, and have you become my partner.”

 

Jimin stepped back quickly, watching Yoongi carefully.

 

“I…don’t think that’s a good idea, sir.”

 

“Yoongi. You can just call me Yoongi.”

 

“…Yoongi, I…have a family, and friends—a life—back home. I can’t just drop everything to…to become immortal. To sit up here forever and never see anyone..”

 

Yoongi felt his magic welling up at his distress, desperate to help him achieve his desire. He pushed it back, not wanting to frighten Jimin. He didn’t want to force the boy, he wanted…he wanted Jimin to want to be with him.

 

“Jimin, if you stay here with me, you can have anything you want. Anything! I can give it to you,” he said, his voice getting higher pitched as he tried to convince the boy. “I’ll…I’ll make it worth your sacrifice, I’ll do anything to keep you happy—,”

 

“But you aren’t happy. You aren’t happy, even though you have everything, can get anything, so why would I be? I don’t want anything. I don’t care about having useless material things, I just want to live my life with my family, and my friends. I’m not leaving them. Goodbye, Yoongi.”

 

Yoongi stood there helplessly as Jimin briskly walked back towards the door.

 

“Wait! Wait, just—don’t leave, please.” Yoongi’s voice cracked, betraying his emotions.

 

Jimin slowed to a stop, but didn’t turn around.

 

“I’ve…never met anyone like you, Jimin. Not in all my years, immortal or mortal. You are something special, and I just, I can’t stand to let you go.”

 

“Yoongi, I can’t stay. This isn’t meant for me. I’d never be happy here.”

 

Yoongi hung his head, biting his lip. The magic was pounding at him, begging him to let it burst out and take Jimin, keep him here. The mist was swirling around him already—Yoongi unable to hold it all in.

 

“I’m begging you Jimin, please. I’m so tired of being alone.”

 

Jimin turned around at that, pity clear on his face. Yoongi knew it was a lost cause, but he had to try.

 

“You were meant to die that day, when you were drowning in the river. I went against fate to save you, because I knew you were different. Special. I couldn’t let death take you then, and I can’t stand to see you leave now.”

 

Jimin shook his head, “I…I’m grateful, Yoongi, I really am. I’ll forever be grateful, but I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”

 

And with that, Jimin left.

 

Yoongi broke.

 

With a fury he was sure he had never felt in all of his long life, his magic exploded as he screamed, the normally somewhat transparent mist taking a more sturdy form, bursting out from Yoongi in all directions, crashing into the piles of lost and forgotten items, forming a tornado of black mist and miscellaneous things, flurrying all around the grand foyer of the castle.

 

Yoongi crouched down, unable to control the wild mess he had created, willing himself to calm down. He cried, not even knowing it was possible for him to cry. He gripped his dark hair in his hands, hating this life of his, wishing Jimin would have stayed so he would finally not have to be so alone, wishing…wishing…

 

His eyes opened wide as he was hit with a new idea. This was it, this was his last resort. If he couldn’t get this to work, then…

 

The mist began to calm, the stuff that had been flying suddenly dropping to the floor all around. Yoongi didn’t care. If this all went as planned, it would no longer be his problem anyway.

~~***~~

Yoongi spent the next few months studying, a refined sense of purpose motivating him to push through the massive amounts of text he had in his library, searching for what he knew had to be there. It had to.

 

He had learned a lot during his time as a God, but what he had never learned was how he got to this position in the first place. If he sat down and thought as hard as he possibly could, he could vaguely remember his mortal life; foggy images of his long gone home, family—though blurry, he could make out a faint resemblance.

 

But, it didn’t matter. Not now. That part of his life was long past, and soon this all would be too.

 

Yoongi researched the ritual, the rules, carefully outlining the processes. He had his plan, but…he needed a person.

 

He couldn’t just pick any random person that came walking in, as much as he’d like to just throw this all onto the next poor soul and get the hell out, he can’t. He had to know for sure that the next person who took over for him would be able to handle all of this, would be willing to help people and wouldn’t use this power for anything but this job.

 

Yoongi watched every person who came in, studying them, feeling their energy with his magic. It was astounding how…dark, the people could be. So many people, and with all of them Yoongi could practically taste the desire for complete power, wealth, absolute rule. He couldn’t let any of them have this.

 

He nearly gave up, thinking he would never find the right person for the job, until one day when a young man came almost skipping into the castle.

 

As soon as he entered, Yoongi’s magic threatened to swirl up—the energy the boy was exuding was so light, so sweet, delicious.

 

This had to be the one.

 

“Hi! Are you the one who helps people find their things? I lost my favorite rock, and I’d really like it back!”

 

Yoongi paused, squinting. “A…rock?”

 

“I collect rocks, and I lost my favorite one!”

 

“You…collect rocks? Why?”

 

“Well, gee, didn’t know you’d ask so many questions! I travel, I don’t ever stay in one place too long. But everywhere I go, I take some rocks from the place. They’re all special, but this one is my favorite.”

 

Yoongi nodded.

 

“Listen. I have a proposition for you….what is your name?”

 

“Taehyung!”

 

“Right, okay Taehyung. Listen closely. I’m tired of doing this. I’ve been doing this for entirely too long, and frankly, this is not my cup of tea—dealing with people. I’m not a people person. I need someone to take over my position, and I think you would be perfect for the job.”

 

Taehyung looked confused, but he didn’t look like he was about to try and book it out of there.

 

“I need someone who…likes people, who loves helping. Who wouldn’t use this magic to hurt people. Do you think you could do it?”

 

“I…would I, be…immortal, then?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But I wouldn’t be able to leave?”

 

Yoongi hesitated, thinking of a way to twist this into a good thing.

 

“Well...I don’t know. I know that it’s not exactly safe to leave if people know who you are. And the magic relies on the energy of the castle, and not to mention, people are constantly coming here, and you can’t just not be here when someone comes.”

 

Taehyung stood there quietly, thinking.

 

“Can I come back tomorrow and give you my answer? I need to think about it.”

 

Yoongi wanted to say no, but he nodded hesitantly. He didn’t want to risk scaring the kid off.

 

“Alright, thanks. I’ll be back tomorrow!” Taehyung exclaimed, heading back to the entrance.

 

“Wait, Taehyung.”

 

“What?”

 

“Here’s your rock.”

 

A soft, purpley mist gently carried the rock through the air, dropping it into Taehyung’s outstretched hands.

 

“Oh…thank you…wow! That was amazing!”

 

Yoongi hoped Taehyung would keep thinking that.