Magic in a Lost World || BTS x Reader

Act Brave

"Yes, but I always wash my meat first. Don't you see me putting it in the pond to wash?"

"As if that water is clean." You knew arguing with him on this was going to be pointless. He saw things one way and you saw them another. "Let's get going. We only have so much sunlight before night falls."

The two of you nodded to each other before stepping out of the cottage. You shut the wooden door behind you, making sure it was locked first. Although Malakai had ran from danger back in the forest, he was a lot calmer now. You hoped he wouldn't do it again, but there was no guarantee on that. At least you had Youngjo just in case. He remained perched on your shoulder as you got up on your horse and whipped his reins. Right away Malakai took off down the long path headed towards the castle on the mountain. You could see some of its towers in the distance. It'll be strange standing in front of the entire castle after only knowing its highest roof tops your whole life.

It looked like you would be doing a lot of firsts in your life for once. Hopefully, Miss Arla doesn't ever find out about this for the sake of her own health. It would also be nice if Malakai didn't ditch you again. You rubbed Malakai's side as he continued to go through the forest. His hooves pounded on the soil path. It had been clear before the unkept grass began to sprout from the ground. No one has used this path in so long. There were no signs of footsteps or carriage wheels imprinted onto the soil. Not even animal footprints. Holding the reins close, you tried not to swallow hard. Youngjo would be able to hear it with him your shoulder.

The ride to the castle was eerie. As the grass grew longer, the trees became taller and hung over you with its leaves trying to block out the sun from entering. It felt as if you were entering another world by going through this long shadowy tunnel. The foliage was thick, but Malakai was able to make his way safely to the gate of the castle. At first you couldn't believe what you were seeing. A tall stone wall surrounded the castle with a metal gate that was practically falling apart. Weeds were wrapped around the rusted gate and it didn't end there. You saw the weeds covering the courtyard along with so many dead bushes.

"How inviting."

"...this place is real." You carefully climbed off Malakai to approach the gate. Youngjo decided to get off your shoulder to land on the gate. He watched you walk up to peek inside in awe. The place was unsettling abandoned like this, but you couldn't get over how you were here. You've heard about this place so much and what happened here like it was just some folktale. Seeing it for yourself was another experience. You slowly brought your hand to the gate when you suddenly heard crows caw. "Eek!" You crouched down, covering your head as if that would do anything.

"It's just birds, (F/n). Are you that scared already? We should just turn back."

"N-No...I was just startled is all! I'm not scared of birds." You stood up with a flushed face. You're fine. Taking in a deep breath, you looked up at the sky to see the crows flying away. There's probably a ton of wildlife now living inside the castle. Letting out that breath, you forced the gate to open enough for you to get inside. It didn't really want to move and with the gate dragging on the dirt, you had to use a lot of force just to get your way. "Now come on. I have a spell to do inside the castle."

"You better not get scared of the rats inside."

"I won't." You huffed. At least you hoped you didn't. He seemed to be judging you on the gate until you held your hand out for him.

Youngjo flew down to perch himself on your forearm. He held on tight which wasn't always pleasant with his talons, but it was tolerable. The both of you faced forward to keep searching for the entrance of the castle. So much of what you were seeing was ruins. The extravagant fountain was no longer working with the water dark and murky. The cherub statue in the center had crumbled with half of its face gone and moss covering a majority of its body. You walked past it, hoping Youngjo didn't hear how your heart almost exploded when you heard an owl hoot.