Rosekook Oneshot Collection

19. Europa 3

{sci-fi/fantasy au, action/adventure, royalty}

On lonely nights I start to fade,
On lonely nights I start to fade.
Her love's a thousand miles away.
Her love's a thousand miles away.
⤝❁⤞

After a blissful evening with Chaeyoung, Jungkook was expecting to wake up in his bed feeling refreshed the next morning. Instead, he found himself rudely awakened by a bitter gust of wind.

His eyes shot open to a world of hazy snow and swaying evergreen trees. It was daytime now, but the presence of the sun offered no warmth to the harsh weather. The wind whipped through the air with alarming force, dislodging a thick branch from a nearby tree and causing it fly towards Jungkook, narrowly missing his head before crashing to the snow-filled ground.

Wolves howled in the distance, their cries forming a harmony to the whistling of the wind. Flurries of snow and ice obscured his vision as he stumbled to his feet and looked around. Trying to figure out what was happening and how he had gotten there.

It was obvious he was no longer at the palace or in the Spring region of Europa. No, judging by the extreme temperature, forest, and lack of civilization around him, he could only assume he had been transported to the far North region. He had only been to this side of the moon a few times for military training purposes. Even then, his trips had always been brief and carefully planned. To be there now, in the middle of nowhere, with only the clothes on his back could only mean one thing.

The competition had started.

"Welcome contenders," A loud, computer-generated voice called out just as this realization dawn on Jungkook. He had no idea where it was coming from, but with the clear way it pierced through all the other nature noises around him, he could only assume it was through magic.

"You have each been placed in random locations in the Winter Forest of Europa. This region is widely known as one of the least travelled and dangerous places on our moon. Creatures and wild animals prowl through these forests day and night. One such rumoured creature is the rare silver dragon. For centuries these dragons have been known to live in a cave called the Dragon's Den. The rules of this game are simple. You must find this cave and bring back an unharmed dragon egg as proof that these creatures exist.

"As you go, you will notice several floating crystals accompanying your every move. These are called viewing crystals and are like cameras placed all around the arena. These allow every citizen in Europa to watch the competition and monitor your progress, so please do not destroy them.

"Violence is tolerated during this mission, however killing is not. Each contender has a computer chip inserted into the back of their necks. When this chip is removed, the contestant is eliminated and will be transported back to the castle. There is no time limit for this challenge; the first person to acquire the egg wins.

"And finally, you will soon find that none of you have been given any resources to complete this mission. Instead of letting you pack weapons or other necessities, we have hidden useful resources for you throughout the arena. Each of the gifts you presented to the queen yesterday are also placed in strategic locations all around you. Find them and use them to your advantage.

"Good luck contestants. Your quest begins now. Let the clock begin."

Jungkook looked up at the cloudy sky to see a large digital timer looming down on him. He peered around and also noticed several, blush-pink diamond shaped gems floating between the trees. He hadn't noticed them before with all the snow and ice swarming around, but as the sun beamed down on them, they became hard to miss.