A/N - Please read the important note in the end!
Namjoon didn't even dare to swallow, fearing that a single small movement would make the person in front of him shoot. The gun's mouth was cold against his temple and he tried his best to adjust his eyes to the darkness as he slowly raised both of his arms. Now he could see the man's pale skin and feline eyes, piercing brown as they bored into his own orbs.
"Let me ask you again," A click of the gun, the man's voice was gruff yet soft. Namjoon's composure faltered a bit under the presence of the gun. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"
"Was just getting away from the soldiers, is all. I mean no harm," Namjoon chose his words carefully, not wanting to risk saying the wrong thing.
The man scanned Namjoon from head to toe, seemingly trying to judge if he was a hostile stranger or not. Reaching out a gloved hand, he brushed his fingertips against the earth bearer's silk shirt, pressing his lips together in a thin line. "Where is your armor?"
Namjoon blinked, raising an eyebrow at the man's words and staring down at his torso, confusion hitting him because he wasn't wearing an armor either. This made him think – were Aardeian men all forced to be soldiers? Was that the reason why the rebel group only consisted of women? He decided to push these thoughts away first and answer before the man could lose his patience. "I don't have any armor sir."
"No armor?," The man scoffed, adjusting his hand and making the gun's mouth smoothly run across the skin of Namjoon's temple. "Don't play dumb with me. All Aardeian men are required to wear armor at all times. Unless you're some kind of deity sent to save us from Hel, then how am I sure that I'm not supposed to kill you?"
"I'm not Aardeian," Namjoon spoke bluntly, thinking that there wasn't really any use to say things directly. His life was on the line so did it really matter?
"Not Aardeian?," The man positioned the gun under Namjoon's chin this time, obviously annoyed at his words. "Purple hair, tan skin and brown eyes, you're obviously a standard Aardeian man. If you keep lying, then I'd have no choice but to—"
Namjoon reached out a hand, cutting off the man and making him stare back with a baffled expression. The man glanced behind upon hearing a rumble, eyes widening as he stared at the ceiling. Rock pebbles fell to the ground as the ceiling formed a long spike, eventually growing until it struck the ground, barely missing their legs. Stunned, the man turned back around to see Namjoon's eyes as brown as the rocks, the gem around his neck glowing brightly.
The man's jaw dropped as the gun slipped out of his hand, making a loud crack as it collided with the ground. After a few moments, Namjoon found the man kneeling down to him, head resting on the floor. "The wonder of Aarde... I apologize for my actions."
"Please don't kneel. It's alright, you were only protecting yourself," Namjoon stood up and brushed the dust off his knees, the man staring at him hesitantly before joining him. The earth gem bearer leaned on the wall, peaking through the entrance and spotting the Helian soldiers still at guard. "What's your name?"
"Jackson," The man – Jackson spoke with a cough, shuffling his feet awkwardly at Namjoon's presence. "I'm sorry, sir, it's just– You're one of the seven wonders, a myth, part of a legend, you don't exist to some people! Yet... you're standing in front of me! I can't believe it... I can't believe you're real."
Namjoon turned around upon hearing Jackson's words, releasing a low chuckle under his throat. A legend, huh? The thought itself amused him, how he was someone considered as a criminal in his home planet yet thought of as a hero in another. Known yet unknown. It was ironic, really. "Jackson, could you help me out? Oh and you can call me Namjoon."
"O-Of course I will, uh, Namjoon," Jackson scratched the back of his nape awkwardly, dragging his feet until he was standing right behind the bearer.
Namjoon stared at the wandering guards with pursed lips, the purple armor glistening under the sunlight, the gears of his mind running as he tried to come up with a good strategy. "Can you tell me why everyone here is wearing Helian armor? And why are there only men present in the city? Why were you expecting me, who you tagged as a standard Aardeain, to be wearing Helian armor too?"
Since Jackson went silent, Namjoon knew that he had asked the right questions. He turned around to see the Aardeian's eyes droop, his fingers digging into the dirt of the wall and teeth gritting. Fury? Pity? Nostalgia? He couldn't tell. "When Hel took over Aarde, they gathered all the women and threw to the outskirts of the kingdom, deep into the forest. They took all the children, slaughtering some if they didn't agree to train under Hel as soldiers. The men, we were in the same situation as the children, except refusing to become a soldier meant turning into a slave instead. My friends... there were seven of us, seven just like you and the wonders. One of them went against the King of Hel and was killed, another passed due to disease, the rest chose their fate as slaves. I– I was left here in our house as a Helian soldier because I swore that I'd live for them but... but I never stepped outside clad with purple armor. I'll never wear the brand of a kingdom that took all my friends away from me."
"That explains the women rebel group...," Namjoon whispered after he listened to every word, watching as Jackson's eyes turned glassy but he wiped the tears away before they could fall. He felt sad for what the Aardeian went through but at the same time, he was mad at himself for not arriving earlier, for not being able to help. "I'm sorry that I didn't come earlier."
"Don't blame yourself. You probably didn't even know about your identity, just like the legend says. Am I right?," Namjoon nodded to Jackson's questions, his chin stuck out as his plan started to piece together. After hearing Jackson's story and Aarde's situation, he knew exactly what to do.
"Hey, Jackson," Humming as a reply, Jackson raised an eyebrow at Namjoon's scrunched nose and stern expression. "Could you lend me your armor?"
"Uh, sure," Jackson replied hesitantly. "Why, though?"
The plan was simple, really, in Namjoon's point of view at least. He was going to use his Aardeian features as an advantage by disguising himself as a soldier, blending in so he could sneak into the castle unharmed. Then, he'll confront whoever was in charge of ruling Aarde, taking him out and fully regaining the kingdom. It took a crisp ten minutes for him to explain it to Jackson, all the while he changed into the armor, which was difficult to move in, metal hard and cold against his skin. It made him feel like a robot forced to move against his will. In return, Jackson explained his educational background and how he studied English and Korean out of curiosity, making him fluent in both.
Namjoon was all set, gloved hands balled into fists, prepared to take the situation head-on. Before he could step outside, however, he heard Jackson call him from behind. "...Namjoon, did you mention a women's rebel group earlier?"
Staring at Jackson's hope-filled expression, Namjoon took a moment before he replied. "Yeah, the team and I's ship crashed near the forest and we ran into them. Why?"
Jackson fiddled with his feet once more, scraping the souls of his feet against the rough ground. He looked up at Namjoon, eyes dripping with worry, making the bearer wonder what the rebel group's significance was to him. "Did... Did you meet someone called Akita there?"
Namjoon had to go through all the events that occurred, from the moment they landed, trekked through the forest and were ambushed by the members of Mathilde's rebel group. Then, finally, he remembered the name. Akita, the warrior who had threatened to hurt Emily if she didn't stay quiet. "...I actually did."
"Oh, thank Macht! She's alive... Thank goodness, she's alive," Jackson released a loud sigh of relief, basically raising his arms into the air as a sign of thanks.
It didn't take two beats for Namjoon to realize what Jackson's connection was with Akita. "Girlfriend?"
"Wife, actually," Jackson raised a hand, finger clad with a shiny silver ring, making Namjoon release a loud oh out of surprise. "After all this is over, I'm definitely coming to get her– Wait, I'm stalling. You should get going. By the way... thanks for not being a myth."
Determination fueled by Jackson's assumptions of Namjoon being able to save Aarde, he found himself marching across the barren streets of the city, doing his best to blend in with the soldiers around them. He avoided conversing with anyone, knowing that failing to speak in Vredeian would give him away completely.
Namjoon somehow got close to the castle without being suspected but he had no complaints regarding this. Now he could clearly see the polished rock walls of the castle, designed to resemble, to make it look strong in the eyes of those who weren't as observant as him. From his view behind one of the houses, he could see the silhouette of a woman through the window of the highest room. The ruler? It made no sense for the ruler to be female, especially because all the Aardeian women were thrown out.
Still, Namjoon made a point of think of how he was going to get past the two Helian guards stationed in front of the castle's gate, one of them dangling a pair of keys in his hands. They weren't armed which made him relieved that they weren't in possession of the extremely overpowered laser guns. He had an idea, but it was risky, especially if someone would catch him in the act. Glancing around and finding nobody close by, he shut his eyes, taking deep breaths before opening them and revealing dark brown orbs.
Namjoon twisted his wrist, some pebbles around the feet of the soldiers started to vibrate, so softly that they didn't even notice. Snapping his fingers, a rock spike grew from the ground and skewered the guard's hand, taking the keys from him. Then, the bearer flicked a wrist, sinkholes opening up in the ground and swallowing the two before closing, like nothing had ever happened.
There was a silence, only the jingling of the keys hanging from the rock resounding in the area as the wind blew. Namjoon looked around once more, slowly walking towards the gate whilst whistling, checking what was behind him as he unlocked the gates and walked across the castle's garden with ease. A garden – how ironic for it bore no flowers, only dead grass and dry soil present.
Namjoon took approximately two minutes to reach the castle doors, which were giant rock slabs carved with floral decorations, an artistic design he couldn't understand because he hasn't seen a single plant in all of Aarde. Shaking those thoughts away, he pushed the doors open, creating too much noise that was definitely going to catch someone's attention. A factor he forgot to consider in his plan, darn it.
So when Namjoon saw a row of Helian soldiers standing in front of him, all armed with laser guns as they stared at him questionably, he knew that he was screwed over more than once.
"Wie ben je?," The soldier in the middle of the line chimed in, stepping towards a sweaty Namjoon carefully, the sight of the laser gun nearly making him dizzy. "Ben je nieuw?"
"Uhm," Namjoon smacked his lips together, wetting them as he tried to think of an escape route. He scanned around, spotting two long hallways extending out of his view and a high staircase behind the soldiers. Three routes, three possibilities. He didn't have Hoseok's intuition so he had a one-third chance of making the right choice. Amidst all this confusion, on thing was for sure – staying with the soldiers wasn't going to help. "Uh, bye."
Namjoon made a run towards the left staircase, hearing the screams of the Helian soldiers just behind him. He passed by more carvings on the rock walls, nearly slipping due to the soft red carpets, head spinning as he saw an intersection point leading to two different directions. There was no time to think because he could the whirring of the lasers behind him, following his instincts as he jumped, barely dodging the laser beams that flew over his head and pierced through the wall in front of him.
Scurrying to his feet, Namjoon turned right, pausing when he realized that he couldn't hear the lasers whirring any longer. The Helian soldiers were tapping their guns, waiting as they recharged, he just realized. One soldier with a badge, assumed to be the general, screamed something in Vredeain that made the others charge towards the bearer.
Namjoon was no longer afraid because without the lasers, he knew that they were nothing against. Smirking, he raised a fist, a pillar of rock shooting out from the ground and crushing a soldier as it collided with the ceiling. Setting it back down, he saw the other soldiers staring at him hesitantly as the general screamed at them to chase him.
With that, Namjoon continued to run, tripping on his own feet and groaning in pain when he fell on the ground, feeling like his bones were shaking due to the armor. Whispering an apology to Jackson, he slowly peeled the armor off him as he continued to run, seeing the soldiers chasing him now. He swiftly turned around and kicked a metal boot off his shoe, which hit a soldier in the head and knocked him unconscious. Two more, including the general.
Namjoon tore, yes tore the metal armor covering his chest, fully freeing him. He caught sight of a portrait of a little girl with pigtails in the hallway, not sparing any thoughts about it because of the situation he was in. He nearly slammed into a door because of his short moment of distraction, it's tall and bulky structure telling him that he was in front of the throne room. However, there were no handles, which meant that the door could only be opened from the inside. He punched the wooden slabs multiple times, only getting cracks from it because of how thick it was.
Knowing this, Namjoon prepared himself for the worst, especially because he could hear the whirring of the laser guns behind him. He opened up a sinkhole on the ground the moment the first soldier came in view, swallowing him up and trapping him underground. The general, however, had quick reflexes and was now aiming the gun at his direction.
Oh no.
Namjoon jumped out of the way once again, watching in horror as the laser beam completely penetrated through the door he was unable to penetrate. He rolled on the ground, spreading his legs just at the right moment, the beam going through the ground this time. In a state of panic, he stares up the ceiling and raised his palm, forming a hand shaped rock structure that crashed into the ground, pinning the general.
"I'll have that, thanks," Namjoon wheezed out, taking the gun from the general's hands and snapping it in half with ease. Then, he stared at the throne room's doors, the hole making a perfect handle for him to able to enter.
However, Namjoon paused. There were no back-up soldiers chasing him or alarms blaring when he broke in the castle. This was way too easy, almost like it was a trap. There was a strong sensation at the bottom of his gut, telling him that something was wrong. Was this what Hoseok felt every time his intuition was running?
Namjoon decided that there was no point in doubting the situation, especially because he so close to reclaiming Aarde, only the present ruler standing in his way. So, he pushed through the doors, entering the oddly quiet throne room. The first thing he noticed were the long purple tapestries hanging from the ceiling, flowing down to the floor, all branded with snake symbols – the mark of Hel. It was dark inside, limiting his view of the area but he could see a portrait up ahead, positioned right above the throne. The solid rock walls made the air cold, cold enough to make him shiver.
"So you came. I guess my soldiers had no chance against you, like how I expected."
Namjoon expected a woman's voice, yes he did, but not one that sounded small and innocent, as if it belonged to a child. He was a bit surprised at how the ruler knew how to speak in his language but he figured that she was educated, trained to face the very situation they were in. He could a silhouette of a figure just a few inches from him, dancing around smoothly in the darkness.
"I've been waiting for you."
"Reveal yourself, woman," Namjoon gritted out, his teeth clenched and hands balled into fists. He was furious towards this person, furious because of how they handled Aarde, how they had thrown out all the women and put the men into slavery, how good people like Jackson and Mathilde had to suffer because of the greedy motives of one man, someone who hungered for power.
But, the moment the girl stepped out of the shadows and showed Namjoon her small tiny frame, all his fury washed away in an instant. He had to blink multiple times to check if he was really looking at a little, a child wearing a malicious smirk, her dress flowing to the ground, fingers barely seen under her ling sleeves. Atop her head was a crown, a laurel merged with leaves, a single brown stone resting in between and this alone told him – he was looking at a child ruler.
"What's with that look on your face, Namjoon? Surprised?," The little girl scoffed, walking around Namjoon in a circle, craning her head upwards due to their height difference. "What were you expecting to see, hm? A tall bulky man? A smooth elegant woman? Newsflash bearer but Hel makes use of all its citizens."
"You're a child," Namjoon breathed, utter disbelief laced in his voice. Now he knew the wrath of Hel, how they treated like everything was a war to win, how this little girl was only one of a thousand children suffer under their clutches. This made him think – Did Taehyung go through the same thing? Was that the reason why he was extremely reserved when it came to what he felt? He was slowly starting to understand everything.
There was a loud scoff from the girl, one that caught Namjoon's attention immediately. Only then did he notice the giant hammer in the girl's hands, one that looked twice as big as her, resting it on her narrow shoulders as if it weighed like feathers. He wondered how someone so small could have such a huge amount of strength but after all he had seen, it wasn't that much of a surprise.
"Do not call me a child. Children are weak, children are defenseless. I'm not," The girl swung her hammer, shattering the rocky floor as it collided with the ground. Namjoon flinched. "My name is Agnes, I'm the assigned ruler of Aarde and I'm also in charge of getting rid of you. But, I'm not a rude person either so we'll start out with a bit of bargaining, alright?"
Agnes is a child. Agnes is a god damn child. Those words replayed in a loop in Namjoon's mind as he watched her rub her hands together, blowing on them before shooting him a smile. Agnes looked so innocent, so pure, yet she also gave off the vibe of a slaughtering machine, someone who had no mercy against anyone who went against her wishes. It disgusted him, at the same time made him pity her. What did she go through as a soldier? As a little girl caught up between the war?
Namjoon couldn't even look at Agnes in the eye because she resembled Yuna so much that he saw her in the ruler's place. The hairstyle, the frame, the eyes – they were all so similar that it hurt. This made him wonder if the King of Hel chose Agnes on purpose because her resemblance to his little sister was definitely going to have a big contribution in the way he looked at her.
Sneaky. Namjoon hated it.
But somehow, Namjoon felt like he was fully responsible for Agnes' suffering.
"When you first stepped into Aarde, you met the rebel group, yes? Along with their leader, Mathilde?," Namjoon nodded, making Agnes smirk mischievously. "Your friends are there as well, fighting against my soldiers. Well, Namjoon, I'm here to make a deal."
"There's nothing you can say that will make me surrender my gem to you, Agnes," Namjoon snapped, instinctively clutching the gem attached to his choker. He remembered Hoseok telling him and everyone else how Marcus tried to bribe him into giving up the air gem, making him think that each kingdom's ruler was going try a similar technique first.
Agnes frowned, her round cheeks turning puffy. She sighed loudly and twirled some strands of her pigtailed hair around her fingers, still clutching the handle of her huge hammer with the other. "Oh. Not even the lives of your friends or the fate of the women rebel group will convince you? What if I have their throats slit right under your nose, huh? Would you agree with me then?"
Namjoon was stunned at the brutality in Agnes' words but he quickly gained composure, still avoiding all eye contact with her. "You can't. Killing all the wonders at once means possibly losing the gems and would your King want to take that risk?"
"He wouldn't. You're a smart man, Namjoon, just like your friend Hoseok. No wonder he defeated Marcus and reclaimed Lucht so easily," There was a long silence before a sinister smile spread across Agnes' face, as if she had thought of something. Namjoon felt quite nervous at the sight. "You're friends are doing so well back there, do you know that? I'm completely aware of the situation there. Not even Taehyung's usage of Shay's staff is doing good. Are you not worried about them?"
"You're lying. My friends can handle themselves," Namjoon hissed, although a small part of his heart was starting to feel worried about his friends. Were they really alright? Were they doing fine without him? He trusted them fully and knew that they wouldn't be overpowered just like that but at the same time, he was anxious. He didn't want any of them to get hurt because of him. But, he knew that the only thing he could do was trust them.
"Ah, I really do have to use another method," Agnes whispered under her breath, voice barely loud enough for Namjoon to hear. She walked towards him, leaving behind the hammer and shooting him a small smile, one that looked eerie to be on a child's face. "Let's step into another level then. Namjoon, are you aware that Helians are consisted of both magicals and non-magicals? People like me, Shay and Taehyung are magicals. We were born with natural magic abilities."
Namjoon listened carefully, taking in all the information slowly. At the same time, he looked around, glancing at the castle's rocky structure and organizing a plan of defense in his head. He hated the idea but he knew that there was no other choice but to go against Agnes. "Your point?"
"My point is," Agnes clasped her hands together in a loud clap, the sound echoing in the silent throne room. Namjoon was baffled by the way she spoke, how she was acting like she was someone much older than she really was. "I have the ability to bring the dead back to life."
Namjoon's legs buckled and he nearly fell on his knees but he stopped himself, not wanting to kneel in front of Agnes. A million thoughts went through his mind at those words – bring the dead back to life. It meant that he had the option to see his mother and sister again. It seemed so surreal, it seemed like such a great choice to make, it seemed like something he could give up everything for. "Y-You're bluffing."
"I ain't bluffing, Namjoon," Agnes was smiling widely because of how Namjoon stuttered, knowing that he was a fish caught in her net. She giggled, running a hand through her pigtails as she observed how the bearer was starting to sweat profusely. "I can revive your mother and little sister from the dead. You'll be able to see them, hold them, love them without having your father get in the way. You'll finally be able to live a happy life with your family. And your criminal record? I'll wipe it all out, you'll have a clean slate! You can start over again. Build a house, have your dream job, become successful and give your family a great life. All you need to do, Kim Namjoon, is hand me over the gem and all will be yours."
Namjoon swallowed, his throat scratchy and lips dry. It was such a good deal, it was a sweet temptation and that was calling to him, whispering in his ear, telling him to say yes. Yes, yes, yes. Being able to see his mother and little Yuna again without the tag of being a criminal, without the poisonous clutches of his father – it was going to be a living dream. A gem in exchange of his family's lives... for a moment, he forgot the situation, he forgot how crucial it was to take Aarde back and was already clutching his choker, preparing to unclasp it and place it on the smirking Agnes' palm, inviting and evil.
It was like an angel and demon were on Namjoon's shoulders, whispering to him in multiple tones and voices. Do it, don't do it. For your family, for the world. But before he could decide anything, he heard a significant voice in his head.
"As for the past— think of it as a stepping stone. It will help you step up towards your future."
It was Jimin's voice, bright and full of hope. Namjoon still remembered the time he first heard those words, the sight of the sea glittering under the moonlight as both of them sat on the bench in front of Jin's vacation house.
"Stop letting the past torture you. Keep that up and you'll rot without anyone even knowing."
Yoongi. The words he had used to open Namjoon's eyes when he had refused to accept his destiny as a wonder, even though he was putting everyone in the brink of death.
"Because I know that among everyone on this ship, you relate to me the most. We're friends, right? And friends know even the most intimate details about each other."
Jimin's voice rang in Namjoon's head once more. Their short conversation in the ship just before arriving in Aarde, how they shared their experiences to one another and realized that they were actually closer to each other than they initially thought.
"Individually, we're wonders but together, we're a team."
Namjoon heard his own voice, remembering how they had worked together to fight against one of the most powerful magicals of Vrede, Shay. How they had put their trust in one another and relied on each other for protection and assistance. Now the bearer was starting to tear up when he realized the decision he was about to make would abandon the friendship that had been built up these past few days.
"Big brother Namjoon."
Stunned by Yuna's voice, Namjoon opened his eyes and saw his little sister standing in front of him, taking Agnes' place. He opened his mouth to speak, to call her name in a cry, but instead his throat shut and he only released a muffled noise. He was frozen, feet rooted to the ground.
"Don't do it, please."
"Hello? Vrede to Namjoon?," Hearing Agnes' voice brought Namjoon back to reality and he realized that his choker was already unclasped halfway. He quickly put it back, letting his arms fall to his sides. "So? What's your decision? We don't have all day–"
"No."
There was a silence, Namjoon's reply making Agnes, her smile slowly forming into an irritated frown. She gritted her teeth, dark eyes burning with anger. "You're making me really angry, Namjoon. Give me the gem."
"No," Namjoon repeated and crossed his arms over his chest, a bit amused by how Agnes was slowly cracking out of her calm demeanor. "I'm not falling for your tricks, Agnes. Past is past, my mother and sister are dead and not even your so called reviving abilities can convince me. How am I even sure that you're telling the truth? Their deaths... it shaped me to be the man I am now and even though they're gone, I've found a new family in the company of the wonders, Sky and Emily. Besides, what's the use of having them back if Vrede is going to destroy Earth anyway? No, I'm not handing over the gem to you because I am the rightful king of Aarde."
A silence. Namjoon was unsure if he had chose the right words for his speech but he knew one thing – Agnes was pissed. Her eyes turned dark, teeth gritted in fury as she stomped towards her hammer, pulling out of the ground with ease. She turned around, facing the bearer with the most terrifying expression he has ever seen. "Damn you, Namjoon. Just when I thought you were different, you prove me wrong and show me that you're just like everyone else! You're weak! Weak, weak, weak! You're exactly like my parents, who couldn't even fight for me when the Helian army took me away. You're just like the other children who were candidates to be part of the army, ending up slaughtered because they're weak. Weakling! The wonder of Aarde is a weakling! You let emotions get the best of you, you let friends affect your decisions! We Helians don't approve of weaklings, we kill them... Just like how I'm going to kill you!"
There was no time for Namjoon to brace himself because the next thing he knew, Agnes was shooting out purple laser beams from her palms. As the bearer dodged with a long jump, he remembered she mentioned that she herself was a magical, which meant that he was going to have a difficult time defeating her. Defeating – because he wasn't planning on killing her, not when it was a little girl.
Namjoon rolled on the ground, looking up just in time to see Agnes charging towards him, some strands of her hair loose as she let out a battle cry, hammer high in the air as she pounced. Following his instincts, he raised both of his legs and kicked her in the gut, his super strength making her fly across the room and crash into the wall.
"I'm sorry," Namjoon cried as he got up, flinching at Agnes' bleeding figure. He couldn't but feel bad about doing this to her, especially because she was a child, but there was no other way. Just as she tried to stand, he raised his hands and made rock structures stick to her limbs, preventing her from moving. "I'm so sorry, Agnes. I don't want to hurt you, we shouldn't be fighting like this. Maybe we can negotia—"
"Negotiations do not exist in Hel, earthling!," Agnes screamed as she broke through the rock around her legs, crying out in fury as she charged towards Namjoon with an almost impossible speed. With the purple light around her, she was definitely a magical.
Namjoon followed the first thought that entered his mind and made a rock structure rise from the ground, creating a dome of rock around Agnes, completely surrounding her. It became silent due to how she was trapped inside solid rock. "Agnes, please, we can talk—"
A kick from inside the rock dome formed a crack in it and Namjoon could see part of Agnes' hammer through it. In seconds, the dome was shattered and Agnes was running towards him once more. Namjoon raises a hand, summoning a thick rock wall, only for it to be shattered by the huge hammer once again. Wall, hammer, wall, hammer. It went on until he fell, landing on his ass and wheezing in exhaustion.
Agnes, on the other hand, had no hint of exhaustion and kicked Namjoon across the face, making him spit out blood. She kicked him once more before sitting on his abdomen, raising the hammer high in the air as she cackled loudly. One of her pigtails was completely loose, her hair flowing in the wind. "Lookie, lookie, Kim Namjoon, the so called wonder of Aarde, is beneath me, vulnerable, defeated! You really are a weakling and weaklings like you deserve death."
Namjoon saw everything else in slow motion as the hammer gets closer and closer to his face every second. He closed his eyes, knowing that he had failed everyone, that he had failed to save Aarde because of his stupid doubts. He was too tired, too hurt to fight back and accepted his faith. However, he head yet another voice.
"You are a wonder. If you die, so does everyone else."
Jin's voice, the words that convinced him of his role as a wonder. With that thought in mind, and the realization that he couldn't forget to let himself lose, he opened his eyes, his brown gem glowing even brighter. Scales grew underneath his eyes and ran down to his cheeks, some on his arms, teeth sharpening. He raised a hand, catching the hammer before it could smash into his face. The ground slowly started to rumble.
Due to that, Agnes' smirk dropped, her eyes widening when she noticed Namjoon's quick transformation. She tried pushing the hammer into him but his strength was overwhelming, to the point that she could hear her hammer crack in his touch. "No, you're a weakling! Weaklings stay as weaklings until the day they die!"
"You're wrong, Agnes," Namjoon fingers dug into the hammers head, the metal breaking. Agnes was stunned, not believing what he was seeing. "You may think that the women you threw out were weaklings but they're not. They're rebels, they're strong. Even the weakest man can be strong, all they need is a little push... which is why I thank you. You gave me that push."
Namjoon kicked Agnes in the gut, much more powerful now because she nearly went through the wall when she crashed into it. Before Agnes could get up, Namjoon was already in front of her. He grabbed her little dress and tossed her to the ground harshly. Obviously, all thoughts of not hurting her were completely gone.
Agnes got up slowly, attempting to raise her broken hammer but Namjoon had summoned a fist of rock from the ground, crushing it as it was grabbed. She fell on her knees, hands desperately brushing against the leftover pieces of her weapon.
Namjoon stepped forward, the floor shattering with each step he took as he summoned another hand of rock, one which pinned Agnes to the ground. He was standing over her now and watched silently as she struggled. She caught his expression, soon erupting into laughter.
"Do you see now, Namjoon? You feel it too, don't you? How you just want to get rid of the weak?," Agnes continued to cackle loudly, fresh blood dribbling down her chin. Namjoon stared. "Go ahead then, kill me. Hel won't accept me anymore, in their eyes I'm a soldier who lost, I'm a weakling. So, kill me. Go ahead, crush me! Just like the monster you are–"
Contrary to Agnes' expectations, Namjoon released her from the grip of the rock structure, reaching out a hand towards her to help her up. She stared for a while, noticing that the scales were gone and he now hand a gentle look on his face. "Get up. I'm not planning on killing you, not any time soon. I told you that we can talk this out, right?"
"But... why?," Agnes choked out, tears now streaming down her face. Namjoon blinked, a but confused. "Why? In Hel, they kill all the weak. In Hel, they don't accept loss. Why... why would you—"
"I'm not Hel, Agnes. I'm not a government that treats everything like a war. Not everything needs to be settled by violence and death. There can be peace too, you know. I'm Kim Namjoon, I'm the wonder of Aarde. All I want is the crown, not your life or anyone else's," Namjoon reached out his hand once more, gesturing at Agnes to grab it. "Get up. Sorry about your weapon, by the way."
Agnes stared at Namjoon for a moment, deep in thought, before finally grabbing his hand. The two stood in the middle of the battlefield in an awkward silence, neither of them really knowing what to say.
The silence was shattered by Agnes, who was tying her loose ponytail. "I understand now. You deserve the title as king, Kim Namjoon."
Namjoon opened his mouth to question Agnes' words but was silenced when she slipped off the laurel crown from her head, kneeling down as she raised it up at him.
"Please reclaim your kingdom, Aarde's king."
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A/N - Hey guys! So recently I've been nominated in The Fiction Awards 2017... please vote for The Seven Wonders under Best Fanfiction! The instructions are in the previous chapter! I've fallen to third place :( It really mean so much for me to win, it's my first ever major award nomination! Please vote!
Alright, here it comes — THE FINALISTS FOR THE SEVEN WONDERS FAN ART CONTEST! I'll be revealing the winner in a few days after me and my friends judge it!
THE FINALISTS (will add usernames after I double check)
A huge thank you to everyone who submitted entries! Again, please vote for T7W on The Fiction Awards 2017! See y'all on the next chapter!