[CONTENTID1] The Rescue [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2] a/n: hi guys. i thought to implement the idea to include music in certain chapters for a feel. it won't be always, but i figure the music might make the story and mood better :)

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The Dark Hour

     With a pointed finger Taehyung shouts.

"Blast them away, Inari!"

A loud roar boomed from the massive fox beast. It sent enormous shockwaves towards the enemies and flung them to the back of the walls with a shattering slam. The king had crumbled to his knees in order to deflect such impact, but it did very little to offset such intense force.

Carillon and Mona had pressed down on their ears with the hopes to block out the rattling sound. Whisps of her brown hair were tangling in-between her eyes as Carillon quickly brushes them away.

She looks at the distorted Shadow to notice its figure crumbled against the cracked wall. 

It was motionless.

However, about another second passes and the Shadow's chains were only mere inches from her face- "move!" Sudden pressure impacts her shoulders and the lack of gravity encases below her feet.

Next thing Carillon knew she was feet away from the now crushed rubble of the floor.

She looks up to see Taehyung standing over her with one of his arms buried beneath her legs and the other encompassing her back. His breath was ragged with adrenaline, and underneath that white kitsune mask was his piercing eyes lingering over her frame.

It was only a brief moment before Taehyung narrowed his eyes at the Shadow.

"Be careful," he murmurs when lowering her to the ground. "We've pissed off this guy. We need to figure out something quick if we're gonna get past that thing."

The Shadow takes a step forward, its body shaking in this strange blazed fury, figure becoming moreso radical and vulgar. "I'll kill you!" It screeched.

"I'll kill you all for disrepecting my master! I'll kill you! I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER!" It seems to be going mad. Worsening in its anger as if they had disrespected it by their mere presence.

Alas, it didn't deter the trio whatsoever. In fact, this only fueled a passionate rush inside all of them.

Near the corner of Carillon's eyes she saw kingly man scrambling to his feet towards the exit with his guards followed him from behind. Her eyes thinned almost instantly, but her focus was soon redirected when the Shadow raises its rusted weaponized chains high into the air.

"Back up!" Mona cries out to them. Just within a nick of time everyone moved out the way for those chains to come smashing down against the marbled pavement.

The ground cracks upon impact and shattered the floor from below. She then makes a spacious backflip into a flightless leap and could feel gravity dissipating underneath her feet for a brief moment.

Carillon lands on a table perched crookedly with ease when she looks over her shoulders. 

Luckily Mona happened to find refuge with one of the rails attached to the second set of stairs which led to the second floor.

As for Taehyung, it seemed he was teetering on top of a glass chandelier peering from above in mild curiosity. 

They didn't have time for this. Jungkook could be potentially dead at this point. And yes, while her energy may be high and blood pumping with fire coursing through her veins they had more important matters to tend to.

"This ends now!" And with the loud call of her Persona, Carillon allowed Seraphine to bestow a surge of strength.

She can feel her muscles tighening, then releasing with vigious and renewed energy. Carillon leaps from the table onto the walls before shooting herself directly in line of the Shadow.

Tessen blades already in her hands the teenager blasted past it with an intensity amounts of speed and severed through its abdomen.

Black blood sprays everywhere as the Shadow screamed in agony. Carillon swings again and again, disregarding the obvious factor of blackened spots decorating parts of her outfit in a gory mess. Its beady eyes landed on hers that made Carillon thickly swallow.

Its arms, both lanky and disjointed, repeatedly swings at her. It moved towards her in haste-like movements before a short blade abruptly shoots through its chest.

"Grraghh!" The being cries out and stumbles backwards, eyes darting from Carillon to the fox boy who was speeding right around the corner. 

Taehyung was running around the Shadow with another short dagger in his gloved hands. By the looks of it Taehyung was planning to attack again. "Carillon!" It was Mona.

The cat had abandoned the rails with her saber sword in hand. "We need to prepare for an all-out attack on this one. Look, it may take a bit of energy and I'm not sure if Taehyung can handle it, but doing this may be able to knock it out for the time being."

Carillon couldn't help but to agree. Doing these solo attacks were only getting so far, and it's only a matter of time before they were all depleted of their energy sources. The girl watched as Taehyung tries to strike again, but fails when chains sweeps underneath his legs.

He didn't fall, however. Gifted with these newfound and heightened reflexes Taehyung was able to roll onto his back, barrel roll to the side and manage to attack it with a ridiciculously good round-house kick.

"Taehyung!" He looks at her when Carillon calls out to him. "We're going all-out on him, so get ready!" He blinks a few times, seemingly confused by the suggestion, but then a moment later as if a lightbulb went off inside his head Taehyung backs no more than a couple feet away from the creature. It seemed he understood her, but is he able to keep up with them?

The Shadow soon raises its chain again.

"NOW!" Mona cried out.

Despite the jagged cracks and crumbled marble of the floor, it did little to cease them in their fast paced and zig-zagged movements. The Shadow continues to scream, body constantly whiplashed again and again from their repeated assaults.

Just to step things up a notch Taehyung commanded his Persona again. "Infernal Howl!" His Persona then made a shrieking, penetrating noise.

Something about it made the Shadow freeze, as if completely immobilized from the sound. Using this to his advantage Taehyung bounces off a thick chunk of marble and swung both his daggers directly into the Shadow's chest. An obnoxius yell escapes from the Shadow as it then staggers.

Everyone backs away when the Shadow stumbles to its hands and knees. "N-no! No..." It was gasping for air similar to that of a fish needing water. "I won't lose! Not like this... You won't defeat me...- ah ha, ah ha ha ha!" It laughed and laughed, laughing like a madman in desperate need for some humor.

"After all this time of neglect. This is the payment I get?" Abruptly a large cloud of smoke engulfs the Shadow, making everyone back away. Carillon hummed in confusion as she kept her weapons close. At first she assumed the Shadow would've disappeared, but no, it didn't. In fact...

W-wha? Her jaw dropped in shock. She couldn't bring herself to move.

Actually, it seemed to capture the other's attention. "You hurt me... Why?" In the midst of darkened smoke revealed...

Everyone froze.

Jungkook? No, it cannot be. Never. The skin looked way too grim and greyish for any remote humanity. When this perfectly imitated form of Jungkook looked at them his eyes were anything but chestnut brown. 

No. They were solid blacks with thick rings of yellow.

"Jun...J-Jungkook?" Taehyung chokes out.

"Jungkook" was still on his knees panting wildly. Sweat tickled past his brows down to his torn school dress shirt. He shakes his head again, as if in doubt, and stares at them with thick tears b around the edges of his almond eyes.

"It hurts so much... All everyone does is hurt me. No one cares."

"That's not true!" With complete vigor the fox boy shook his head and shouted. "We do care! I always cared for you!" Carillon wanted to correct Taehyung, and yet she still couldn't bring herself to speak.

"You don't really care Taehyung. You never bother to protect me from harm." Something about the statement made Taehyung flinch considerably. A choked sob wiggle its way out of this shadowed form of Jungkook.

"Why are you hurting me? H-haven't everyone done enough? If you hate me so much then just go ahead and kill me... I don't deserve to live." Head bowed, the being resembling Jungkook continued to whimper.

... She had enough of this.

"No one ever cares for me. It's so lonely...-"

"Be quiet you manipulating shadowed hole." Something inside of her was twisted with emotions far familiar and yet enstranged. Oh, that's right, annoyance. Carillon steps closer to the kneeled Shadow in complete distaste.

"I know what you're doing, so cut the bull and be upfront with us. We're rescuing the real Jungkook, and we're going to save him from himself, which means from you." As if to prove a point Carillon shoves a leathered boot to his face, hearing a loud yelp from the reformed Shadow.

"Carillon!" Taehyung hisses as he grabs at her shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?! You're going to hurt him!" The heroine couldn't help but to press the bottom of her heel further into his nose until she heard a small crack. "I know," she replied loosely and shrugs him away. 

"Where is Jungkook?"

"You little ." The Shadow spat and tried to snatch at her ankle, which Carillon already calculated beforehand and ripped her foot away only to slam it right into his face again. 

A loud crunch was heard. 

The Shadow squeals.

"Mona, Taehyung, hold him down." The cat was quick to respond to the request by jumping on its hind legs, but as for Taehyung he looked incredibly hesitant.

Carillon's eyes lingered on the boy much longer than needed to as she then sighs. "Taehyung, this is Jungkook's Shadow. This is not the real him whatsoever."

"..." With caution Taehyung plopped right on top of the Shadow's back, making the being fall onto the floor as he stared hard at the back of the Shadow's head. Her eyes then refocused back on Shadow Jungkook and scowled.

"You have ten seconds. Where is he?" She decided to go ahead and grab a fistful of the Shadow's hair for good measure.

"Somewhere you'll never consider." Face looked definitely broken by the crook in his nose, black streaks of goopy blood pooling from his mouth and nose, the Shadow sneers at the girl.

"You finally off the rockers after Jungkook kept ignoring you, huh? Denial of his essence?" She then huffs.

"Of course I have! How could one ignore the very nature of their true self? I went mad! Being ignored, casted away for so long is enough to make anyone go crazy. But that er knew it! He knew about me all along and er denied me the right to live. A worthless piece of insecure trash too blinded by his own problems to accept me! But I broke free of the chains baring me down that pitiful hell hole of his unconscious. Now it's his turn to suffer and I'll make sure he'll suffer every moment until his very last breath! Ah ha! AH HA HA HA-! Ugghrrk!"

"Piss off." This time it was Taehyung's turn to elbow the shadowed being in the neck. "For someone being an exact mirror of Jungkook you sure are stupid. No wonder why he buried you."

" you, ! I should've killed you when I first had the chance. But I'll make sure you watch your best friend struggle and suffocate right in front of you- AACK!"

Carillon kicked him in the face again. The being seemed to have stiffened considerably until a gust of smoke oozed from below.

The trio retreats when the Shadow slipped into the void. "." Carillon mutters. Obviously the thing is not dead, but hiding away to recuperate. She then pulls out her navigator and tries to analyze Jungkook's current whereabouts. And honestly, by the looks of it located somewhere in the North...

Her compact mirror fizzled into two initials. 

NW.

Her eyes narrow.

NW? What could it-... wait a minute. North wing! Of course, how could she not possibly known? That's a little farther out from this spot. And if this suppose to emulate his perception of the school, then obviously there's each castle similiar to each facility... 

Is it possible to make shortcuts?

"What's the plan?" Taehyung asked her as Carillon combs through her hair for the twelveth time. An unneeded habit of hers when things become too complicated.

"Jungkook is apparently hidden in the North wing. With how this place is structured we need to go up. There's probably over a dozen floors here. It's not likely, but indeed a possibility, so we're going to have to preserve our most of enegy considering there's probably enemies on every floor."

"Okay..." He sounded a little uncertain of himself. Taehyung folded his arms and hummed in contemplation, "I think I can manage it. I didn't get hit as much, but everything is still new considering... well, ya know, this." His gloved hands displayed himself as if to prove an obvious point.

Carillon couldn't help but to roll her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. "Right. Um, well don't worry about that. I think you did pretty great for a first timer." She couldn't help but to watch his eyes twinkle in glee. 

"Really?!" He sounded very excited for some strange reason. She nods. "Yeah. You were great Taehyung. A natural that I wouldn't never guess it."

Okay, oddly she feels a bit awkward. She's not much of a cheerleader but to receive such high enthusiasm from someone makes her feel... good. Yeah. It really does.

"Uh, guys? I know you two are busy flirting and all, but we got a person to rescue." Mona's remark somehow manages to dispel the building tension between the two.

A hot, scorching burn blazed in her cheeks and she exclaims. "I-I am definitely not flirting! I am praising him for his achievements. Two separate things."

"Besides, I don't even like anyone!" Taehyung added with an obnoxious huff.

"Whatever." The feline scoffed. "Let's get going before we get bombarded with more Shadows. Lead the way, Carillon!" Navigator still in hand, the girl walked to the leading staircase near the castle's entrance. This should be the first stage to reach the North wing.

"H-hey, uh, Carillon?"

"Hm?" They went up the stairs rather quickly with little intentions to stop. Taehyung was following second behind her with Mona being last.

"You mentioned about codenames and stuff, and I got to thinking, ya know? About it after battling with that Shadow." This somehow peaked her curiosity, yet she remained quiet.

"And I think after all this is over and we finally rescue Jungkook... I want to join you and Mona." They reached the first floor within the first ten seconds. Taehyung was practically by her side when they moved onto the second floor.

"I thought, maybe... that maybe if it's possible to protect my friends in the future with this power then... I want to do everything I can to help. So... I hope you might consider me?" He finishes his statement when Carillon paused in her footsteps. 

She turns to look at him.

"I think I have already considered it the moment you rose