Even though Namjoon had a quick-witted mind, he still had to process what exactly was happening. He was currently running through the street markets of Cairo with Jimin and Jungkook, armed men in dark hoods chasing them from behind. He gently pushed people away as he continued to run, contrary to their opponents who even swung their weapons around to clear the way.
"Who are they?!," Jimin wheezed, hopping over a box of green apples. "Why are they chasing us?!"
"I think Shay sent them," Jungkook received looks of confusion from both Namjoon and Jimin. He was about to say something sarcastic then he realized that the two had no idea who Shay was. He rolled his shoulders, the urge to spread his wings taking over him. "She's an enchantress from Vrede, the right hand of the King of Hel. I think... I think she sent those men to kill us."
Namjoon's blood at the thought of being hunted down, of being someone's target, of someone else wanting him dead made a chill run down his spine. He jumped over a cart of watermelons, rolling on the ground and standing safely, hearing a crash behind him and dodged the melons that flew in the air.
Panting at how much he had ran in such a short amount of time, Namjoon's throat closed when he felt a gust of wind pass his face, then his cheek stung. He stopped running, standing in the middle of the street (idiotically) and brushed his fingertips over the wound, staring at the blood with wide eyes. He then turned around, watching as the hooded man took out star shaped blades from his pockets, holding them between his fingers as they gleamed under the sunlight.
Both Jimin and Jungkook were behind Namjoon, backs pressed against each his. He didn't need to look to know that they were surrounded. The earth bearer had no idea where the others were — he had lost sight of them when they spread out.
"There are so many of them," Jimin grunted, clutching his bleeding arm, a blade, similar to what the dark hooded men were wearing, wedged into his flesh. "I guess it can't be helped, huh?"
"We have no choice," Jungkook's torso was torn at the waist, blood seeping through the cloth. He was also staring at a hooded man, armed with the same weapons. "Namjoon, you got a plan?"
Namjoon glanced around, scanning the area, discovering that eight opponents were standing in front of the three of them. The gears of his mind started to turn and upon seeing the cart of fruits, the stall of electronics and scared civilians, a lightbulb lit up. His eyes slowly turned brown as he straightened his back, swiping the drops of blood on his face with his finger. "Jimin, you're in charge of offense, use the appliances from the stalls around you or give them one hell of a shock. I'll be in charge of defense, using the ground around me to protect us. Jungkook, go ahead and spread your wings, there's no use hiding them now. Distract them and try to find the others while you're high up — do not get any civilians hurt."
"Roger that, captain," Jimin smirked, his eyes now golden yellow, summoning a sparking ball of electricity on his palm, earning yelps from the people around them. He then flinched, the pain from his shoulder jolting through his limbs.
Namjoon clicked his tongue at this — without Jin, Jimin was going to have withstand the pain until they find the water bearer.
Jungkook's eyes darkened, despite his eyes being light blue, face full of determination. He took off his jacket and reached for his back, tearing a hole into the shirt with his nails and letting his wings spread, receiving shrieks from the people watching. He clenched his fists, beams of lighting seeping through the crevices of his fingers. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of the King of Hel's actions. Why can't he just leave Vrede and Earth alone? Why can't we all live in peace?!"
These words made Namjoon sense something from Jungkook, whose wings were pointed upwards, teeth gritted in anger. His forehead was scrunched, jaw clenched with beads of sweat dotting his face, blonde hair matted onto his skin. Namjoon could feel it — Jungkook was the one most affected by this, the angriest, as if—
Ding. It all clicked in Namjoon's head but he wasn't going to say it yet, at least not now. There was no time.
"Jimin, are you alright?," Namjoon turned towards Jimin, whose eyes were a bit teary, his bleeding arm hanging and limp.
Jimin considered a sassy comeback but decided against it. He groaned out a nod but Namjoon knew that the outcome of his injuries wouldn't be good if they don't find Seokjin quickly.
"Go!"
Namjoon couldn't see but he heard footsteps and the fluttering of wings, knowing that Jimin and Jungkook were on the move, just as the hooded men started to attack, throwing their weapons around. He stomped on the ground, creating a crack on the rock, making the men tumble on top of one another, some crashing into the stalls at the side. Raising a fist, a wall of rock formed in front of Namjoon and protected him before he could get hurt.
Noticing the paralyzed citizens staring in fear, Namjoon screamed. "Everyone run! Stay away!"
Some of the civilians were baffled by Namjoon's english but they still ran while others continued to scream. He scanned the area, seeing Jungkook high up in the air, wings flapping behind him, shooting out beams of light from his palms and blinding any hooded man who would come near him. Then Jimin swiftly ran, knocking out the blinded men with a pulsating shock.
Suddenly, one of the hooded men changed their target, facing away from Namjoon and running towards Jimin. Namjoon instantly reacted to the situation, kneeling down and pressing his palm down on the ground. Pebbles rumbled and rock shook. The hooded man took out a knife but fell into a sinkhole before he could reach the thunder gem bearer. He stood up, the sinkhole closing.
Jimin panted, walking toward Namjoon with electricity sparking on his fingertips. The blood from his shoulder was dripping down his arm now, his skin coated in a sickening red color. "That was all of them? Way too easy."
Namjoon rolled his eyes, running a hand through his purple hair, pausing when he heard camera shutters from behind him. He turned around, greeted by the civilians recording them with phones, some taking pictures of them with their cameras. Jimin was unbothered, after all he was used to the paparazzi raiding his house every now and then, but Namjoon was infuriated.
"Don't," Jimin whispered before Namjoon could take a step, his yellow eyes blank.
Namjoon took deep breaths, realizing that without Taehyung and once the videos and pictures spread across the internet, there was no way that the others could go back to their normal lives. Especially Jimin, a celebrity, how would his fans react once founding out that he was spotted in Egypt, brawling while using electricity as his weapon?
For a moment, Namjoon was basked by darkness, then he realized that Jungkook was standing in front of him, using his wings to conceal he and Jimin's faces. His expression was hardened, a cut on his lip, but there was slight pity on the angel's face.
"I have no idea where Emily, Jin, Hoseok and Jia are... but I found Sky, Yoongi and Taehyung," Jungkook's words made Jimin smile in relief, whilst Namjoon just kept listening. "They're at the town square, going against Shay."
"Shay?," Jimin blinked, his mouth slightly parted out of shock. "But you said—"
"I know," Jungkook snapped and Namjoon was surprised at how his expression hardened every time Shay's name was mentioned. "We need to get to them. Taehyung may be the strongest out of all seven of us but not even he can beat Shay alone."
"But Sky and Yoongi are with him," Namjoon mused, cracking his knuckles, the shutters still loud behind Jungkook's wings.
"I know Taehyung. He's going to fight her alone, maybe even trap Yoongi and Sky in some kind of forcefield to do so," Jungkook gritted, the people behind him suddenly screaming. Namjoon peaked over the white feathers, trying to see what was happening, whilst Jimin didn't even try. "Wha—"
A loud buzz pierced through the air, accompanied by more screams and drops of something hot splattering across Namjoon's face. The eldest boy watched with wide eyes as a red laser beam penetrated through Jungkook's right wing and Jimin's waist, the two landing on the ground in a pool of their own blood. Jungkook was barely conscious, screaming due to the pain, hands digging into the dirt but Jimin was knocked out cold.
Once again, Namjoon failed to protect the people around him.
Namjoon slowly turned around, spotting a man wearing a dark coat, his beady black eyes glowing in the shadow under his hood. In his hands was a gun, colored purple and a little more curvy than usual, the base glowing red, the handle merging into his hand and sticking to his skin.
With gritted teeth and newfound anger, Namjoon balled his hands into fists, the pebbles resting near his feet rising. This man hurt his friends and he was going to pay.
-
"They have guns now?!," Emily shrieked, the string of her electric bow making a snapping sound as she released an arrow, which struck through one of the armed men's stomachs, killing him instantly. She ducked as laser beams flew through the air, burning some strands of her brown hair.
Jin flinched when he swerved, dodging the laser beam, which created a small crater in the concrete. He and Emily were currently riding a motorcycle, which he had borrowed from a Chinese looking woman who owned a stall of foreign products. There were no questions asked, Jin only needed to sign the woman's forehead with a permanent marker. It confused him greatly, especially because she claimed that he was some kind of idol. Still, he was glad, since this false information served as an advantage.
"Hold on tight, Emily!," Jin glanced at the side mirror of the motorcycle, seeing around three hooded men charging towards them, guns in their hands. He blushed a bit when he felt an arm wrap around his waist, biting his lip to stop himself from releasing a squeal.
Jin knew that it wasn't the right time but he thought of Emily, how he kissed her in the airport washroom, all thoughts of unapproved love flying out at the window. In those few moments sitting alone in the plane, he decided that he didn't care, that whatever age gap they had didn't matter because he loved her. He never figured out when it started and why but one thing was for sure... Jin loved Emily.
This made Jin wonder, was this what Yoongi felt every time he was around you? Did butterflies flutter in his stomach whenever his lips pressed onto yours? Did he drown in the pools of your eyes, sinking down into the beautiful orbs that gave him life—
"—m Seokjin! Stop spacing out!," Jin was brought back to reality by Emily's shout and the next thing he knew, her hands on were on his, and they were inching closer to an elderly man in the middle of the street, wearing heavily tinted shades and poking his cane in the air with absolute confusion.
Jin released a scream as he furiously stepped on the brakes, sliding on the road, stopping right in front of the man, the smell of his cloth entering the water gem bearer's nose. As soon as some other civilian pulled the blind to safety, Jin continued driving.
"This isn't the time to be spacing out!," Emily scolded, a buzz ringing as she formed another electric bow. She ducked, her movement giving Jin a warning, a laser beam passing in between there heads and disintegrating the nearby cart of wooden figurines.
"I'm sorry, okay?! I was thinking about something!," Jin turned a corner, the wheels of the motorcycle brushing against the brick walls of a house. Then, he noticed something up ahead, something bright blue that gleamed under the sunlight.
Shooting two more arrows and killing more hooded men, Emily groaned when her opponents seemed to multiply every second. "Damn it! Why do they keep— Gah!"
A laser beam shot through Emily's thigh, the blood soaking Jin's jacket. The sight of Emily screaming in pain made Jin's vision darken and he found himself skidding across the road, stopping right in front of a fence — one that lead to a small body of water below, a river.
They hurt Emily, how dare they hurt Emily? They'll pay, oh they'll pay.
"J-Jin, what are you doing?!," Emily's cries sounded like echoes to Seokjin when he stepped down from the motorcycle, walking towards the hooded men, who paused in confusion.
Jin's eyes turned blue, his teeth becoming pointed and scales appearing on the skin below his eyes. He balled his webbed hands into fists, water climbing up from the walls and crawling below his feet. The hooded men flinched at this action and raised their guns, pressing the trigger to charge the laser beams.
In the blink of an eye, Jin flicked his wrist, water flying from the ground and sharpening, cutting off the hooded men's hands, getting rid of their access to their weapons. They screamed but Jin thought none of, raising a finger and drawing a ring in the air.
Die. Die. Die.
Die.
Water snapped onto the men's necks like magnetic bracelets, squeezing with regards to Jin's orders. His fist shook whilst his grip tightened, the hooded men desperately clawing on their necks for oxygen. But, in seconds, they were dead.
Jin took deep breaths as he let go of the men's bodies, gripping his head as his eyes turned back to their regular color. Baffled, he looked down, seeing a glimpse of something purple in his blue gem before it vanished completely.
Huh, must have been a trick of his eyes.
"Jin!," Upon hearing Emily's voice, Jin turned around, his expression shifting drastically when he saw her face contorted in pain, blood dripping off her feet and to the ground. He ran towards her instantly, assisting her to sit on the ground, before gently holding her injured thigh.
Emily groaned in pain as the wound slowly healed, the electric bow in her hand fading away to sparks. She ran a hand through her brown hair, tapping the skin of her leg before glancing up at Jin. "Thanks."
"It's... no problem, really," Jin was once again drowning — ironic for someone who could control water — in the pools of Emily's dark orbs. He didn't know what came into him, or what made him decide that it was the right time to do it, but he found himself softly pressing his lips onto hers.
The kiss deepened with every second that passed, Jin releasing a moan when Emily's hand snaked into his hair and tugged it lightly. He gripped her waist, the two of them sitting on the ground, Emily's legs resting on his as his mind started melting and forming into one thought: More. He wanted more.
A loud explosion made the two pull away from each other, Jin looking up to see a pillar of smoke rising from close by. With the landscape of the area and the height of the buildings, he could tell that it was coming from the town square.
Emily awkwardly stood up, pulling down her shirt, cheeks furiously tinted pink. "That must be Sky. We have to get to her."
Jin chuckled at Emily's reaction, licking his now dry and swollen lips, crossing his arms over his chest, tilted his head as the girl slowly started to resemble a ripe tomato. "I guess it wasn't a good time to—"
"Shut up," Emily hissed, turning around and seeing the river, staring at the thick grey smoke across it. "How are we going to get to them? We can't walk all the way around, that will take too long. Based on how our motorcycle resembles an angry Yoongi, that option's out."
Jin tapped his chin, glancing at the overheated motorcycle and the deep river in front of him. He looked down, at the puddle of water beneath his feet, a switch turning on in his head.
"I've got an idea."
-
"Get us down!," Jia screamed, desperately clinging onto Hoseok's nape, her feet dangling in the air. Shrieking when she looked down, she kicked in an attempt to scoot herself higher. "Hobi!"
"I'm trying, Jia!," Hoseok flung his arms around, trying to gain balance in the air, since he accidentally floated off the ground whilst being chased by the hooded men, bringing Jia along with him. Thankfully, they lost sight of their opponents but now his problem was, because he wasn't used to his powers yet, he didn't know how to land. "Just— Just hang on! Everything will be fine!"
The two were high up and even Hoseok was a bit frightened by the extreme height. He looked down at Jia's terrified expression, realizing that she'll be in so much more danger if she continued being with him. He wanted her safe, free from all worries, and to him, it didn't matter if it meant being apart from him.
But just as Hoseok opened his mouth to speak, there was a strong gust of wind and a booming sound of propellers. He looked up, Jia holding tightly onto him, eyes widening when a helicopter came into view, armed soldiers aiming their guns at the two. Great, more guns.
"Put your hands in the air!," A soldier screamed, blonde hair sticking out of his helmet, doe eyes visible through his shades. Hoseok flicked his eyes towards the name tag — Officer Jaehwan.
"Do you really think that's a possibility right now?!," Jia hissed in frustration, finally getting a good hold on Hoseok's shoulders, sighing in relief as she was carried bridal style. Hoseok finally regained his balance and floated in an upright position.
"I said put your hands up!," Officer Jaehwan warned and cocked his gun, making Jia raise her free arm.
Hoseok was just staring, trying to process the situation at hand. He was approximately fifty feet in the air, carrying Jia in his arms while soldiers point guns at their faces. First priority: keep Jia safe by leaving her behind in Egypt with her parents while he travels to Vrede with the rest of the wonders. Possibilities: dropping Jia was an absolute no, he won't fight while carrying her — the helicopter, it just had enough space for one more person.
"Hey, babe," Hoseok whispered, ignoring Officer Jaehwan's continuous shouts. He glanced at Jia's confused expression, smiling at her beauty. "You trust me, right?"
"Of course I do! H-Hobi, why are you talking like that?," Jia's jaw started to shiver at her anxiousness, Hoseok leaning down to rub his nose on hers.
"Just because I'll be gone physically doesn't mean that I'm not by your side," Hoseok leaned in, planting a soft kiss on Jia's forehead. "I'm not sure how long I'll be in Vrede but I'll assure you — I'll be back soon, just wait for me, alright? I promise, I'll kiss you the moment we meet again."
"Hobi—," Jia was silenced by a short yet passionate kiss on the lips from Hoseok. She was stunned, eyes welling up with tears after she finally understood, realizing that it would be the last kiss she'd get from him in a long time. "I love you, Hobi."
"I love you too, Jia," Hoseok whispered, facing the still screaming soldiers, ordering him to surrender. He rolled his eyes, puffing out air from his mouth, making the soldiers literally drop their weapons due to the strong wind.
Before any of the soldiers could react, Hoseok lunged forward, landing inside the helicopter and making some soldiers shriek out of shock. He carefully placed Jia inside, earning looks from the soldiers.
"Bring her home," Hoseok hissed, facing the second soldier Officer Hongbin, voice laced with intimidation, expression hardening. "Or else—"
"Or else what?," Officer Hongbin challenged, a sly smirk on his face. Hoseok rolled his eyes, lips turning into an upside down heart, then he raised his hand, a small tornado forming above his palm. All the soldiers jumped back at the sight, Hoseok smiling brightly at the reaction — which looked both innocent and mischievous at the same time. "Alright, alright, we'll take your girlfriend home, okay?! Don't hurt us, please."
Ignoring Officer Hongbin's cries, Hoseok leaned in to kiss Jia one last time, twirling some strands of her long brown hair in between his fingers. They touched foreheads, staring into each other's eyes for a while, in a moment of silence and adoration. "I love you, Jia. I'll be back soon, okay? Just look at our couple bracelet and it will be like I'm right there."
Jia smiled, intertwining their fingers, blinking away their tears. "I know, Hobi. I love you, too."
It took a moment until Hoseok and Jia finally let go of each other. Hoseok stared at his girlfriend, at her mesmerizing and ethereal beauty, waving a sad goodbye before jumping off the helicopter. He floated in the air, watching as the helicopter slowly flew away, Jia glancing back at him longingly. It was okay, she was safe, that's all that mattered.
Hoseok looked down, shedding a few tears, spotting Taehyung and Shay brawling in the town square just below him.
Time to help out.
-
For a few minutes, Taehyung and Shay stared at each other with a mixture of both disgust and anger. You clung onto Yoongi's arm, confused at what you were seeing — Taehyung's pointed teeth were gritted, clawed hands balled into fists, piercing the skin of his wrists, purple eyes overflowing with rage. His forehead was scrunched, a low growl forming in his throat. Shay, on the other hand, was leaning on her staff for balance, smirking triumphantly at Taehyung, playing with the hem of her coat. It was strange, how cocky she was, as if this very scenario was what she had planned.
Was it?
"You have to stop this, Shay," Taehyung rolled his tongue, his Vredeian accent showing (something similar to British and Irish accent combined, you noticed), purple orbs forming in the air around him. The wind blew the hood off his head, revealing his face, one contorted with so much anger. "There will be no benefit from this."
"Stop this?," Shay cackled, a hand over her mouth. She slammed her staff on the ground, cracking the concrete and making both you and Yoongi flinch at the sudden action. "Why don't you try and stop me then, Taehyung?"
Taehyung took a step forward, agitated, halting when Yoongi placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned, meeting the fire bearer's orange eyes. "Let us fight with you. Three against one will be one hell of an advantage for us."
Yoongi then faced you, asking for your approval, his eyes boring into yours. You nodded as a response, taking a pocket knife out and turning it into a katana, positioning yourself in a fighting stance. "Yoongi's right, Taehyung, we'll help—"
"No."
A pause. Yoongi's eye twitched, the flame over his palm faltering, Taehyung just glaring at him with squinted eyes and a scowl. You stared in shock, wondering what was going through Taehyung's head at this moment, wondering why he wasn't willing to accept any help at all.
"Taehyung prefers to fight alone," K chimed sadly, adding fuel to the fire. "No matter how strong the opponent is."
"Why...," You trailed off, not really knowing what to say. Taehyung's stare shifted towards you, his eyes softening a bit, as if he was sorry for what he was doing. It hardened when Yoongi started to speak in disbelief.
"What in the world is going on in that head of yours?!," Yoongi seethed, bumping chests with Taehyung, who was tonguing the inside of his cheek, unamused. "We offer you help and you refuse?! You have absolutely no right to—"
"This is my fight and my fight alone," Taehyung deadpanned, raising a hand coated with purple mist. You gasped a bit when you were raised in the air slightly, the same reaction displayed by Yoongi. His next words came in a whisper, head hung low, and you could feel it — you knew that he was filled with regret. "I'm sorry, you'd only get hurt."
You opened your mouth to speak, wanting to tell Taehyung that to you and Yoongi, it didn't matter. All you wanted to do was help, he couldn't fight her alone and you knew that. However, the purple mist materialized around your waist and pulled you backwards, making you crash into Yoongi. Then, more purple mist rose from the ground, creating a forcefield around the two of you.
"What the—," Yoongi stood up, the ceiling of the forcefield barely touching his hair. "Taehyung, you—"
Yoongi screamed, his teeth pointed, a few scales showing on his cheeks, and you flinched at how irritated he sounded. He raised his palms, pillars of flame shooting out at the wall of the forcefield, but he effort was futile, and it only caused more smoke to fill up inside.
You walked towards Yoongi, rubbing his back just as he collapsed on his knees, hands pressed on the ground. "Taehyung's so stupid... He himself said that Shay is the most powerful magical from Vrede! What if he dies?!"
A bit stunned by Yoongi's concern, you had to take a few moments to process his words. Still, your boyfriend was right, it wasn't only because Taehyung was one of the wonders and him gone meant that the whole world would be in jeopardy — but Taehyung was a friend, he was part of a family now, a family that consisted of you, Emily, Jia and the seven wonders. And you were the guardian, you swore to your life that you would never let anyone die.
But this was an exception. No matter how difficult the choice was, it was obvious that Taehyung knew what he was doing. Lacing your fingers together with Yoongi's, you decided to put all faith into the darkness gem bearer. "We have no choice. We just have to trust Taehyung."
-
Taehyung slowly rose off the ground, accompanied by purple mist and dark energy balls around him, Shay doing the same in front of him. He looked down, you and Yoongi resembling ants under a transparent bowl from his point of view, since he was high up in the air. He then looked up, seeing a helicopter disappear in the distance.
"Look at your opponent when you're in a fight," Shay mused, swinging her staff like a baton, legs crossed as she sat in the air, unamused at how Taehyung was just staring at her. "Have you already forgotten the very first rule of brawling?"
Taehyung hissed like a snake, Shay just laughing at his animalistic response. He was pissed at the situation he was in, how the only way to knock some sense into Shay's corrupted mind was to go against her. He didn't want to but he didn't have a choice. Besides saving her, he had to protect the others as well. "Shay... why?! Why do you do this?!"
"Why? It's simple, really. I want to help the King, I was born to," Shay straightened her posture, raising her staff high in the air, the pointed tip sparking with dark energy. Taehyung summoned mist around his hands, knowing very well what was coming. "Now, be quiet while I destroy you, dear."
Shay cackled as a beam of dark energy shot out from her staff, Taehyung making a few gestures with his fingers, creating a shield in front of him. He was pushed backwards by a few feet because of the force but besides being strained, he wasn't hurt.
But as soon as Taehyung let his shield fade away, Shay was right in front of him, swinging her staff towards his face. He leaned backwards to dodge it but he wasn't quick enough, and he ended getting hit on the right cheek, the pointed tip leaving behind a huge gash. This didn't make him budge, however, so Taehyung looked down at a parked van, pointing two fingers towards it.
Taehyung, suddenly fueled by anger, grunted loudly as the mist materialized into a rope in his hands, tying it around the van, before pulling it with all his strength and swinging it towards Shay. With a sarcastic laugh, Shay merely swung her staff, splitting the vehicle in half.
Due to this, Shay didn't see Taehyung, who was charging towards her with a raised fist, screaming a battle cry. Everything happened so quickly that she couldn't react, her cheek stinging as she crashed onto the ground, right next to the forcefield which contained you and Yoongi.
Taehyung landed on top of Shay, his feet cracking the rock beneath him, knees on either side of her waist. He raised his hand, a ball of sparking energy over his palm, the skin of his hands turning slightly purple. Everything he was seeing was a blur because he was angry — angry at how a sweet and innocent girl like Shay had turned into this monster, angry at how they had to fight and angry at how he had no other choice.
Shay laughed out loud, eyes wide with insanity and blow flowing from the corners of her mouth. Her purple coat was spread out on the ground, exposing her black tights. She tilted her head in amusement and licked her lips. "Go ahead, Taehyung. Do it. Embrace the darkness, accept it."
Contrary to Shay's motive, these words brought Taehyung back to the light, making him pause when he realized what he was about to do. He flicked his eyes back and forth from his purple hand to his black gem. No, not again.
Taehyung let the energy ball in his hand fade into nothingness, ignoring Shay's complaints of him resisting, and instead turned to the side, spotting you inside the forcefield, banging your fists on the wall whilst screaming. He couldn't tell what you were saying, it merely sounded like murmurs, but he knew that you were worried about him greatly.
And the thought of your concern put a smile on Taehyung's face, a small yet sincere one, which faded the moment Yoongi came into view, hugging your waist tightly. He found himself biting his lips to the point that they bled.
Before he could do anything else, however, Taehyung a strong blow on his gut, then he was on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. Then Shay was on top of him, the pointed tip of her staff brushing against his adam's apple, so he didn't even dare to swallow.
"Look at you, turning all soft and mushy because of the guardian," Shay stuck her tongue out, cackling at Taehyung's stunned expression. "It's pathetic, certainly not the way you were raised, hm?"
"Leave them alone," Taehyung hissed, he himself surprised at the words that came out of his mouth. He never thought it would end up like this, he'd never thought he'd care.
"No promises," Shay raised her staff, the sunlight making it glow, which made Taehyung look up and catch something high up in the sky. "Goodbye, dear—"
Swoosh. Something shot through the air, puncturing Shay's stomach, the blood scattering all over Taehyung's face. She fell on the ground with a thud, wheezing a bit due to the sudden pain. Taehyung stared, not being able to decide how he should react to the situation.
"Hey, Tae, are you alright?!"
Taehyung looked up, seeing Jungkook flying high up, struggling a bit, his right wing slightly bent. In his arms was Emily, who was forming another electric arrow, the wind softly blowing her hair. Beneath them was Hoseok, who was ready to catch Emily in case she falls. Jin was riding a wave closely behind them, matching Hoseok's height in the air, just wanting to make sure that Emily was safe. Namjoon was on the ground, running towards the scene with a now conscious yet tired Jimin on his back, both of their shirts soiled with blood.
While Shay was trying to regain herself, Jungkook landed next to Taehyung, setting Emily down carefully. The angel helped the darkness gem bearer stand and the latter was speechless for a moment.
"You're okay," Taehyung breathed out after a while, sighing.
"Of course I am, you dumbass," Jungkook massaged his right shoulder, stretching his formerly injured wing. "I kinda broke my wing again but thankfully, Jin came and patched me up real—"
"I'm sorry," Taehyung looked away, a frown forming on his face, wiping a bit of the blood drops on his cheeks. Jungkook stared. "About... that."
"Are you... apologizing?," Jungkook leaned in a bit, rocking on his toes, instantly shifting the mood and making Taehyung raise an eyebrow, along with his eye twitching. The light gem bearer raised a finger, his mouth forming into a circle and his eyes wide like satellite dishes. "You're apologizing! Oh Macht, I need to take note of this day, hey what time is it—"
"Jungkook," Taehyung warned, fists ready to be thrown.
Jungkook already had a rhetorical reply planned out but he was cut off my low yet eerie laughter from Shay, who was using her staff to stand, the blood flowing down her legs.
"You think this is over? You think that I'm scared because I'm outnumbered?!," Shay screamed as the rest of the wonders came, Taehyung making the forcefield disappear so that you and Yoongi could join them. She raised her staff to the sky, cackling. "Oh, this is just the beginning! I haven't even showed you half of what I can do!"
Taehyung was standing in the middle of the line, so he took the opportunity to look at everyone. He faced his right; Jin was next to him, water dancing beneath his feet, Emily standing beside him with the electric bow crackling in her hand. Next to her was Jimin, supported by Namjoon, determination in both of their eyes despite the pain and fatigue. He faced his left; Jungkook was there, wings high and proud, beams of light at his fingertips. Next to him stood you, the katana shining under the sunlight, paired with the bright red flames coating Yoongi's arms.
Taehyung smirked a bit, summoning purple mist just as Namjoon started to speak.
"Individually, we're wonders but together, we're a team," Namjoon shifted his weight, Jimin grunting next to him. "We won't let you play around any longer, not anymore. Because today... we fight."
This alone seemed to have intimidated Shay enough, all the glares she was receiving overwhelming her. Still, she didn't back down, stomping her foot and raising her staff once more.
"Come at me, wonders."
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A/N - a 6k word monster I apologize—
To explain the Vredeian accent — imagine Emily, Jungkook, Taehyung, K and Shay all speaking with British accents. Although Jungkook tries his best to conceal it, Emily starts using it only after you found out and Taehyung's is more prominent, even when he tries to hide it. Also Tae's powers are kinda like the green lantern's.
Shay vs everyone in the next chapter 👀