Your POV

The dry, cracked soil beneath my naked feet burns into my skin with each step I take, toes bloodied for whenever I lost my footing and had them dragged around as the line kept advancing without my help.

The man behind me would try to steady me every now and then, but there is only so little one can do with the way we're tied, not to mention how exhausted we are.

I don't know how long we've been walking for, but I counted at least five moons before losing track of them. I can't recall if we were given any food other than the stale bread from a couple days ago, and only the brief rainwater helped our suffering throats earlier this morning.

Feeling feverish, my balance does me no good as I try to keep advancing with a blurry sight of the ground at my feet. I walk on sharp rocks too many times for comfort, and the heat of the earth burns at the wounds, leaving me to wish for death a little more with each passing hour.

What good can come out of this, after all? I'd rather end everything now.

It's only when the moon rises up once more that we are allowed to rest for the night, and as I sit down where I am, the man tied behind me now at my side, I take in the damage with a wince. My skin has thinned down so much that they feel raw to the touch.

This isn't good, my feet must be infected by now.

We're handed a new half bread once more, even more stale than the last, but starving as we are, a fight would ensue without hesitation if one tried to steal from another. I bite into the bread, unable to taste anything from how dry my mouth is, and chew slowly before swallowing.

Looking toward the horizon shows that we are still nowhere close to a city or town, and I can't help but wonder where it is that we are being taken to.

"I'm guessing we'll be brought to Mefit City," the man's deep voice speaks softly as he too slowly eats his portion of bread.

I glance at him, wondering how he would know that. I was never allowed school since my parents could not afford it, so I don't know how to read and write. I ignore most of the world, honestly, but that doesn't seem to hold true for him.

"The city of bastards," he continues upon sensing my confusion. "It's where criminals gather to make contacts and steal from one another, or in our situation, where they buy slaves. I could be wrong, but we seem to be following the longer route leading there. Maybe because they want to avoid guard patrols on the way."

I stare at the knowledge hidden in his eyes before turning my attention to what's left of the bread in my hand. When did it get so small? I can't even recall eating that much.

"Here, have mine too," the man says while handing me his bread. "You need all the energy you can get if you want to make it there alive. We'll most likely be allowed a shower, medicine and clean clothes then, before we're put on a show for the buyers".

His words - or the obvious acceptance of our predicament in his voice - tick me off in ways I can't explain, and I swallow the last of my bread before lying down so my back faces him. He sighs softly, then lies down as well, the rope slipping off my shoulder and over my throat as he does.

"I don't like our situation any more than you do," he murmurs, "but I know that there is little we can do at the moment. If you die, they won't take you off the leash. We'll have to carry your body until we make it to our destination, and I would honestly rather not sleep next to a corpse for the next few days."

I frown, teeth biting on my cut lips as I process his words. I hadn't thought about that, but he says the truth. Why would those men take my dead body out of the line? That would take too much time, and I bet there would be a use for it if the place we're going to is as bad as I imagine.

I close my eyes, feeling a new type of restlessness about my future. It feels like no matter what happens to me, I will never be treated with respect.

I fall into an agitated sleep, until the next morning when we're awakened with feet to our stomachs.

Jungkook's POV

I stare at the much cleaner living quarters of the royal wing with a sense of satisfaction within me.

Things have been going well for the past week. I've cleared the rubble in the entrance, then made myself a path to the master suite first so that I would be able to sleep in a clean, private space. Obviously, the furniture was all broken, but that was no problem for my magic.

Just as I did for the stone, broken wood reverted back to its initial state of creation, and the bed suddenly looked like new. I cleaned the mattress, stitched the blankets back together, then hanged them outside when it rained, adding and spreading some magical cleanliness around when it felt necessary.

Some lesser, practical magic that doesn't ask too much out of me. It made it easier to get rid of the dust and dirt, though I did keep some of the weed and flowers around as I found them pretty. The demon realm doesn't have anything like that.

Now that it's cleaner... well, it does feel a little empty.

While I liked the silence at first, I'm starting to miss Jimin's endless banter, or the random visitors asking for the most ridiculous things. Now that I recall, not all of them were negative or about destruction.

Some people would come asking for a blessing upon their newborn baby, and some would invite me to the opening of their new shop, hoping to attract good fortune with my presence. Some would bring offerings to thank me for the protection I offered, and others would simply come to ridicule themselves over stupid requests, which would bring about laughter in the room.

It wasn't always bad, but I guess the darkness did get too overwhelming at some point, that I couldn't see the light anymore.

I walk down the large hallway, then stare at the unused space to my left, a room suited for a young lady. Its shades of warm pinks and yellows make me think of a room fit for a princess. It looks jovial and pure, like someone living within these walls could make the world a better place all on their own.

The other rooms are yet incomplete, but this one is ready to be lived in, with a wide canopy bed and enough space to fit weeks worth of clothes.

The problem is that I have no one to move within these walls. I hum pensively as I keep observing the walls decorated with vines and pretty flowers. They look like they want to cater to someone, for some reason, nature's hands yet immobile because they have no one to please.

A demon like me is not pure enough to deserve that kind of treatment, but perhaps...

I turn on my heels, then make way towards the main hall with a determined stride.

I have an idea. It seems I will have, once more, much to do here.