Mask || BTS Demon!AU

~28~

Namjoon watched as Hoseok and Jimin hugged Yoongi and talked to him, wiping his tears and smiling at him. The shaman stood in silence, a sympathetic smile on his face. The man didn't seem that much older than them, probably somewhere in his thirties. Namjoon bowed at him.

"Hi, I'm Kim Namjoon. Are you the shaman here to help us?" he asked.

The shaman nodded. "My name is Im Dowon. Your friends called me a little sooner than expected. They visited me this afternoon."

Namjoon grimaced. "Yeah, the situation is a bit chaotic. We found our friends in that tunnel over there," he said, pointing at the entrance of the tunnel. "We only got Yoongi-hyung out, our other friend Taehyung is hurt. And the demon is either on its way or already there."

Im Dowon didn't look surprised at all at the mention of the demon. More than anything, he looked more confident in the way he carried himself. He looked calm and composed. Namjoon understood this man was experienced and ready to help them.

"What... what exactly does a shaman do? What will you do to help us?" Namjoon asked, feeling a little awkward. He hadn't believed in anything supernatural up until a few weeks ago. Of course he had read a lot about subjects such as the afterlife, spirits, even demons, just to be educated on supernatural topics. Believing in them was another story. But now that he did... he realized he had no clue what people such as shamans did, or how they could help save them from a demon.

"Shamans are mediators," Dowon replied with a smile. "We bring peace between people and the spiritual realm. We communicate with spirits, such as those of the deceased, and every once in a while, we combat diseases or evil spirits."

Namjoon looked at the man with a blank face. It was a lot to take in. "You can actually communicate with spirits?" he asked, to which Dowon nodded. "But... this is a demon. Isn't that different from an evil spirit?"

"Not much," Dowon said. "In my experience, demons have gained power somehow and developed a body of their own. Spirits are just that, spirits. No physical body, only energy."

Namjoon was confused, but didn't show it. He nodded as if he completely understood what the shaman had said.

"There are a few things you should know before we go in."

"We?" Namjoon asked, slightly alarmed.

Dowon nodded. "I will need help. I will recite verses, and use all that is in my power to expel the demon back to its own world. But it will fight."

Jimin and Namjoon looked at each other. They could read from each other's face that they were scared, but determined to do this. To fight the demon however much necessary.

"What you need to know is that we cannot let the demon leave before I have finished reciting the verses. You need to distract it, you need to fight it. You have to buy me all the time you can get."

"How do we fight it?" Jimin asked, and Namjoon turned to the shaman again as well. "We've tried before, but we were all defeated. And it took our friend."

Dowon nodded. "Yes, when unprepared, fighting a demon is a lost cause. But I will give you these," he said, holding up a few small objects in his hand. "They will protect you. Hold them while it attacks you, and your defense will be stronger. Hold them while you fight back, and your hits will do actual damage."

"They're talismans, aren't they?" Namjoon asked, recognizing the small, hand-made objects.

Dowon nodded, handing each of them a talisman. Yoongi grabbed it as if his life depended on it.

"I-I wouldn't look it in the eyes, i-if I were you," he blurted out at the shaman, earning a confused look. "It has some... some kind of powers in its eyes. Put you to sleep... show you nightmares... illusions... j-just don't look at the yellow eyes."