Chapter 15: Echoes of the Library 

The night was restless for Jungkook, the darkness of his room a stark contrast to the turmoil in his mind. Visions of a dream, vivid and unsettling, played on a loop—the image of a girl, YN, kissing another, calling him Tae. Despite his attempts to shake it off, the dream lingered, a haunting echo through his thoughts.

As dawn broke, Jungkook awoke, feeling the weight of his barely slept night. The first thought that clawed its way to the forefront of his mind was the dream. "It's just a dream," he muttered to himself, trying to dispel the vivid images. He looked out the window, the morning light doing little to lift the heaviness in his heart. "But... Taehyung said they knew each other since childhood and are now meeting after 12 years... How is that possible? He is a devil, and she is a siren. She lives on Earth. How can they even be friends?" The questions swirled in his head, a maelstrom of doubt and confusion. "I have to ask YN or Taehyung about it," he resolved with a determined tone, rising from his bed.

After freshening up and completing his morning routines, Jungkook went about his work, his mood soured by a seed of jealousy. YN was still asleep, unaware of the storm brewing in Jungkook's mind. His thoughts were a tangle of emotions—jealousy that YN, even in dreams, kissed someone else and declared her love for him.

YN, greeted by the morning sun, yawned cutely and rose from her bed. She donned a beautiful pink gown adorned with diamonds, enhancing her charm. As she admired her reflection in the mirror, a smile played on her lips at her own cuteness.

Descending to the royal dining hall, YN exchanged greetings with the maids, who complimented her beauty. She took her seat, thanking the maids as they served her breakfast. Just as she was about to eat, Jungkook caught sight of her. Approaching from behind, he was momentarily mesmerized by her beauty, as always.

"Good morning," YN greeted him cheerfully.

Snapped out of his reverie, Jungkook replied, "Good morning, my Love," his smile returning as he sat beside her. The conversation flowed more freely than usual during breakfast, a rarity given YN's usual reserve around Jungkook.

Mid-conversation, YN posed a question that reignited the embers of Jungkook's earlier unrest. "Hm... Jungkook, can I ask something?"

"Yes, my love, ask whatever you want," Jungkook encouraged, his smile warm.

"It's been so long since I saw Taehyung," YN began, and at the mention of the name, the dream flashed before Jungkook's eyes, the pang of jealousy sharp in his chest.

"Why do you care about him so much, huh? Also, how do you know each other? You guys didn't even think to tell me about it!" Jungkook's voice rose, his temper flaring.

YN flinched, taken aback by the sudden change in his demeanor. "W-what happened to you suddenly?" she stammered.

Before she could continue, a guard interrupted, announcing the arrival of a visitor for Jungkook. With a final, confused glance at YN, Jungkook departed, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

"God, what happened to him suddenly..." YN mused, deciding to seek solace in the enchanted garden. There, surrounded by nature's beauty, she pondered the abrupt shift in Jungkook's mood, which had been so pleasant just the day before and even earlier that morning.

Yn sat in the garden, the serenity of the place contrasting sharply with the turmoil in her heart. She pondered over Jungkook's erratic behavior, the sudden mood swings that seemed so out of character for him. "Seriously, what's wrong with Jungkook? He was in such a good mood yesterday, and even today at breakfast," she mused aloud, her voice laced with concern.

She let out a heavy sigh, the frustration evident in her tone. "Is he on his periods or what? Why doesn't he understand that Taehyung and I are just friends? We saw each other after years..." Another sigh escaped her as she lay back, allowing the tranquility of the garden to soothe her frazzled nerves.

After some time, YN decided it was time to head back to her room. As she walked through the corridors, she passed by the throne room where Jungkook was deep in discussion with his lieutenants and demons. She tried to ignore him, but as she was about to pass by, Jungkook caught sight of her. His gaze darkened with a surge of anger, but he managed to keep it in check.

"Yn," he called out, his voice steady despite the storm brewing within.

YN turned and approached him, noting that he didn't meet her eyes. "Hand me the glass of wine," he commanded, gesturing to his worktable.

She glanced at the table, the glass within his easy reach, and retorted with a hint of defiance, "Do you have Doraemon's hand? Pick it yourself."

Jungkook's eyes flashed dangerously, the dark pools reflecting his inner turmoil. YN gulped, realizing she may have pushed him too far. She quickly handed him the glass, her movements hurried and anxious.

Without another word, she turned and fled to the safety of her room, the echo of her footsteps a stark reminder of the tension that now lay between them.

YN's retreat to her room was a brief respite from the day's earlier tensions. She collapsed onto her bed, a sanctuary of softness in the midst of chaos, and exhaled a sigh of relief. "That was close..." she whispered to herself, a mixture of disbelief and newfound courage swirling within her. She had stood up to Jungkook, spoken her mind without fear—a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Her thoughts drifted to Taehyung, the missing piece in the puzzle of her heart. "I wonder where Tae is... I haven't seen him for so long now," she mused, her gaze lost in the world beyond her window. The promise of his return 'at night' echoed emptily in her mind—he had not come.

With resolve, YN rose from her bed and ventured out, traversing the long, eerie corridors of the castle. Guards and maids bowed in respect; their greetings met with YN's gracious smile. Yet, her mind was elsewhere, pondering her next destination. She seldom strayed from her room or the garden—Jungkook's gift to her—but today, she yearned for the library.

The castle's vastness and the library's elusive location tested her, but with the help of the guards, she found her way. As she entered, the library greeted her with its haunting ambiance. The library is a labyrinth of towering shelves, each one creaking under the weight of countless times, some with spines featuring inscriptions in languages long forgotten. The echo of your footsteps on the stone floor is the only sound, save for the occasional rustle of a page turning on its own accord, as if guided by an invisible reader.

As you delve deeper into the devil king's library, the atmosphere thickens with an unsettling presence. The shadows seem to move, slithering between the bookshelves like silent serpents, and you can't shake the feeling of being watched by unseen eyes. The air grows colder, a chill that seeps into your bones, and the whispering voices begin to echo through the halls, too low to make out the words but filled with malice.

The books themselves are bound not just in leather but in materials that seem eerily organic, their covers pulsating slightly as if breathing. Some are chained to the shelves, as if they contain knowledge so dark, so dangerous, that they must be restrained. you saw some books and just the titles on them send shivers down your spine: "Necromancy for the Ambitious," "The Encyclopedia of Demonic Entities," and "Potions of Pain and Pleasure."

At the heart of the library stands a grand table made of dark mahogany, its surface inlaid with ominous symbols that seem to writhe under your gaze. Above, a grand chandelier hangs, its candles burning with an eerie blue flame, casting an otherworldly glow over the room.

The candles flicker as if disturbed by a passing spirit, and the shadows dance in a grotesque performance. You hear the sound of chains dragging across the floor and the soft, menacing laughter that seems to come from the books themselves. The entire space is enclosed by tall stained-glass windows, depicting scenes of the king's victories and conquests, but the glass distorts the light in such a way that the images appear to be engaged in a silent, eternal battle.

The gargoyles above now appear to be dripping with fresh blood, their eyes glowing with a fiendish light. In this library, the line between the living and the dead, the real and the unreal, is blurred. It's a place where the most forbidden knowledge is kept, where the devil king's power is at its most potent, and where only the bravest dare to venture in search of truths best left hidden in the shadows and where stories whisper secrets of the past, waiting for the brave or the foolish to uncover them. It's a place of beauty and terror, intertwined in the dance of knowledge and power.

YN gulped, her voice barely a whisper, "Gosh, it's so scary here... No wonder it's his personal library." Memories of her last visit, when fear had kept her at bay, surfaced. But not today. Today, she summoned her courage and stepped inside.

Despite her trepidation, YN was determined to find a book, something 'normal' amidst the eerie collection. She searched the shelves, her frustration growing. "Can't he just have a normal book?" she sighed, contemplating a return to her room. But she had read all those books already.

After what felt like hours, her perseverance paid off. She discovered a book titled "NetherTide & Sea Shade." It seemed less daunting, its title whispering of the sea rather than the sinister. She settled into a chair, the dark mahogany of the table before her reflecting the library's somber mood.

She opened the book, and the words on the first page drew her in:

"In the depths where light dares not linger, and the sea's embrace turns cold, there lies a realm untouched by sunbeams, where the water's tales are told.

Here, the ink is mixed with shadows, and the parchment made of fears, the words are scribed by phantom quills, which chronicle the ocean's tears.

Turn the page if thou art daring, but beware the curse it holds, for the secrets of the deep are not meant for mortal souls..."

The cryptic text that followed sent a shiver down her spine:

"Vor'cha'lis de'umbran, Thalassan vokun... 

S'uhn tiahr'lu ctharan, V'ehn bahr'lok K'uhul ajunta, 

M'aruhm dalhar Zhal'ess k'urnah, S'uhn vashal..."

YN traced the words with her fingertips, a sense of unease unfurling within her. "These words... they're like the sea's call, yet there's darkness in their weaves," she murmured. "It's a language of power, but what do they mean? They must be devilish or otherworldly."

"What ancient pacts do these marks speak of? What fathomless depths do they conceal?" she wondered aloud, the chill of the library seeping into her soul. The symbols, though incomprehensible, spoke to her in a way that words could not, stirring a primal dread deep within her. The library, with its whispers of the past and secrets best left hidden, had ensnared her in its spell, and she was both its captive and its willing audience.

YN's gaze lingered on the open pages of "NetherTide & SeaShade," the cryptic verses whispering of depths and darkness. With a deep breath, She rose from her chair, the book of sea whispers still open, its words echoing in her mind. The library beckoned her deeper, its endless shelves and ancient tomes a labyrinth of knowledge and mystery.

The library seemed to stretch on forever, its shelves a never-ending maze of knowledge and shadow. YN moved deeper into its heart, the air growing thick with ancient dust and the weight of untold stories. The oppressive atmosphere wrapped around her like a cloak, heavy with the scent of leather-bound secrets and the silent watch of countless spines

As she ventured further, a strange magnetism tugged at her senses. A sudden pull, like the tide to the moon, drew her gaze to a distant corner. A bright purple light shimmered, It was both alluring and terrifying, a contradiction that YN couldn't resist. "What is this light?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own footsteps.

The light seemed to pulse, growing brighter with each hesitant step she took towards it its glow piercing the gloom. "It's so beautiful... but why does it feel like it's calling me?" YN's voice was a hushed whisper, her feet moving of their own accord towards the mysterious luminescence.

With each step, the light seemed to beckon her closer, its allure irresistible. Yet, as she drew nearer, a sense of otherworldliness enveloped her. It was as if the library itself had come alive, its pulse beating in sync with her own. Her eyes, reflecting a world unseen, caught the glimmer of a purple light, distant yet commanding and going a bit way from her. "What is this light? It feels... otherworldly," she said, a note of frustration coloring her words.

Drawn as if by an invisible tide, Yn moved towards the source. The light grew in intensity, a beacon amidst the gloom, The source of the light soon revealed itself—a door, ancient and royal, its surface etched with symbols that glowed with an eerie, purple light. it seemed as ancient as time itself. Its surface was adorned with symbols of power and royalty, yet it exuded an aura of dread. "This door... it's like nothing I've ever seen," YN breathed out, her heart racing with a mix of fear and fascination.

But before she could reach out to touch the mysterious portal, the world began to spin. The floor seemed to tilt beneath her feet, and the once-steady light now flickered erratically, her balance lost to the sudden vertigo that enveloped her. "I... I can't... What's happening to me?" she stammered, her balance failing her as a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her senses.

The ground rushed up to meet her, the cold stone a harsh contrast to the ethereal warmth she had felt moments before. Darkness edged her vision, and she reached out desperately, seeking something to hold onto. "Is someone there? Please..." she called out, her voice trailing off as her strength waned.

In the last moments before consciousness slipped away, a voice called out to her, familiar yet distant, echoing through the void that was rapidly closing in. Voice: "Yn... Yn!" it called, a beacon in the dark, a name spoken with an intimacy that resonated deep within her soul.

And then, all was silent.

To be continue....

Dear Readers,

First and foremost, I want to extend my heartfelt apologies for the delay in updating "Siren's Melody." Life has been a whirlwind lately, and I truly appreciate your patience and understanding.💖

As a token of my gratitude for your continued support, I've made the latest chapter a bit longer than usual 📖✨. I hope it brings you extra joy and makes up for the wait!

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