TᕼE GOᒪᗪ Iᑎ TᕼE ᗪᗩᖇK | ᑎᗩᗰᒍIᑎ (ON GOING)

ᔕI᙭TY ᔕEᐯEᑎ

NAMJOON

Jimin and Taehyung kinda refused to leave the guild, so now they're staying here too.

In my bed.

Cuddling with me.

It felt wrong to cuddle with someone other than Jin, so I slipped off the bed, leaving them to sleep with each other instead of me. Jimin stirred a little, but soon relaxed when Tae wrapped his arms around his waist. I smiled a little before walking down the hallway.

We cleaned out the cells since there was nothing better to do. It was an absolutely horrendous process, but at least we got it over with, now the guild smelled... decent. It still had that lingering stenchy scent, but at least it didn't smell like dead bodies.

It was horrible down here, even with a few friends and the removal of dead bodies, I hadn't slept properly since Jin left. I haven't even seen sunlight for 8 days now, and I couldn't smile without seeing Jin's face. The worst part was I didn't know where my boyfriend was, if he was okay, and if he missed me at all. I'm going crazy.

I considered writing to Jin several times, but I had no idea were he was. Also I didn't know the mapping of the fairy realms, I only knew Direrock, Bleakwater, and Tenebris. Even if someone told me the others, I wouldn't know what to write on the address, the fairy world was so different from my own. I've been here for what feels like an eternity, but I still have a lot to learn.

There's not much to do in here. It's just a hallway with a round chamber at the end containing the beds, along with some cracks in the walls. Jimin and Taehyung have been trying to find a way out of here since I'm too big and clumsy to sneak out without anyone noticing, especially Queen Joohyun, she won't take her eyes off me! I've been talking to Jimin's cousin Sooyoung, she's been telling me all about Water Clan traditions and stuff.

It's really different from the Light Clan traditions, but really cool at the same time. Direrock is pretty classical and medieval, but apparently Bleakwater is all techy, they're really creative and they like to experiment. My jaw dropped when Sooyoung told me a quarter of their death rate is because of experiments gone wrong, including Jimin's aunt and uncle, so casually.

I couldn't tell if the sun was up or not because of the fact there wasn't any light in the guild, but it felt like it was getting to be that time. The guild was actually pretty badly protected, you could just open the hatch and you'd be in. At least it was hidden above ground, there was no way anyone could tell where it was without knowing it was there in the first place. I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"What're you doing up so early?" Queen Joohyun asked, staring up at me with her wide, pale blue eyes. I swear she never blinks.

"I just couldn't sleep," I murmured, unable to tear my gaze away from her. She used to be funny and comforting, a little insane but still nice, but now she just purely terrified me.

"Well, let's get you back to bed so you can sit there for the rest of the day, spiraling in your own endless void of boredom," Queen Joohyun mumbled, keeping her grip on my bicep as she led me back down the chamber. I swear she's going just as crazy as I am.

"Please, ma'am, I'm not a child," I sighed, gently slipping my arm out of her grasp. I was trying to remain respectful, but it was hard when she was driving me absolutely mad. She surprisingly let me go just to stare up at me again.

She looked unwell from being down here for so long. I didn't know much about Water Clan fairies, but I could tell the lack of water was doing something to all of them, their skin looked porcelain and sunken with deep eye bags, even their eyes were turning eerily light. It made me uncomfortable just looking at Queen Joohyun, she looked like she'd been starving for days and she'd eat me at any second.

"I know you're not a child," she whispered, eyebrows furrowing slightly. She rubbed her temples with the heels of her hands, closing her eyes and wincing like there was a ringing in her ear. I opened my mouth to ask if she was alright, but there was a lump in my throat that prevented any words to form.

Queen Joohyun didn't say anything else after that, she just grabbed my wrist and took me to the end of the chamber. I remember when she told me about people going insane around the first couple days of being down in the guild, but I thought she was just bluffing. Apparently not, because she's going crazy.

Her hair was tangled, her lips were chapped and her cheekbones were more prominent with her sunken eyes, she looked so ghostly, like she was just the shell of a person with no soul inside. Her eyes were wide and staring, she rarely blinked anymore. I was genuinely concerned, I wanted to talk to her but she looked like she'd put her long fingers through my head if I even opened my mouth.

Neither of us said a word as Queen Joohyun brought me to the entrance of the chamber. I was shocked, to say the least, when I realized she was bringing me outside. She opened the hatch and continued to hold my arm, the blast of fresh air felt like heaven. Looking around at all the nature and fairy pods with the lights illuminating Direrock, I could feel tears pricking the back of my eyes. I never knew how much I'd miss this place until I was actually gone for 8 whole days. Queen Joohyun sat down by the entrance, looking up at the night sky.

"Do you want to know why I'm being so overbearing?" She asked quietly, not even sparing me a glance. I nodded, quickly sitting beside her. I was still twice her size.

"Because of Seokjin," Queen Joohyun whispered. I almost chuckled.

"Well, I know that, he was going crazy-"

"No," she cut me off, looking back up at me with that same expression as if she'd been traumatized. Now there was something different. A hint of desperation. 

"Seokjin loves you. He really does. He won't stop talking about you." A smile spread across her face while my heart clenched. I nodded slightly, looking up at the stars as an excuse to look away from her before I broke down crying.

"I know, I love him too," I whispered. I could feel the blood rush to my face as she placed her hand on mine, it was like a random old person grabbing you. Except Queen Joohyun wasn't random.

"I'm protecting you for him. That boy is like my child, I found him after his parents died, scared and alone. He was only 140 years old, I took him in and nurtured him for a bit until Hoseok and Yoongi took him in."

I nodded along with everything she said, confused why she was telling me this. I politely interrupted her before she could speak again, afraid she'd go on a rampage and never stop talking.

"That's sweet of you and all, but why do I need to know this?" I asked, whispering subconsciously. Queen Joohyun looked at me once more, but before she could speak, a butterfly landed on her knee. A messenger butterfly. It was different from the Light Clan's messenger butterflies, this one was black as a shadow.

I sat there awkwardly as she unraveled the letter to read it. I couldn't see what it said, but there were lots of signatures at the bottom, particularly one large and sharp signature. A horrified expression rapidly took over Queen Joohyun's face as she continued to read it. I jumped in surprise as she crumbled the parchment, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She looked at me again.

"Get in the guild."

"But-"

"Now!"

She grabbed my shirt and opened the hatch, mercilessly tossing me in as if I were just a teddy bear. I stopped the door with my elbow before she could close it, barely processing what happened. "Wait!" I panted.

"Why did you tell me all that stuff about Jin?" I croaked, staring at her tear-stained face through the crack in the door. I heard her breathing hitch before she spoke, her voice barely audible over the sound of her heavy breaths and my thumping heart.

"Because Jin loved his parents more than anything, they were his favourite. Now you've taken that position. I couldn't protect them, but I can protect you. When I tell you I never want to see Seokjin with that devastating expression ever again, I mean it. If you die, it's all over. For everyone."

And that was the last thing she said before slamming the hatch in my face.