A/N - I'm so sorry for the late update huhu but enjoy 9k words of angst hehe
Yoongi wasn't sure what to make of this situation since so many things he deemed impossible had just happened before his eyes. First, he had been riding one of Hel's hover bikes without a problem. Second, he wasn't dead, thanks to Hoseok. Third, Shay was right in front of his eyes again. He could sense everyone's shock in the air as they stared at the Helian magical.
Truthfully, after everything, Yoongi had convinced himself that the sight of Shay and Taehyung speaking in the middle of the night back in Bliksem had been a manifestation of his hatred towards the darkness gem bearer. However, now that she was right in front of his eyes, he thought differently.
Yoongi thought about the bits of the conversation he heard — father, sister, Hel and the plan to exterminate the rest of the wonders to gain more power. Now that Shay really was alive, he wondered if that had been Taehyung's plan all along, if his friendship with the rest had only been an act to gain their trust. He wondered if there was even a bit of truth in all this.
Turning around, Yoongi caught Hoseok staring at him with wide eyes filled with confusion, as if he was begging for an answer to why Shay, who was supposedly dead, was right in front of them. At the same time, the air gem bearer looked terrified out of his mind.
Of course, Yoongi knew the answer to Hoseok's predicament and he didn't like it one bit.
Since Shay had destroyed the hover bike, Yoongi, Hoseok and Holly were now on the ground. He knew that you were going against the Helian magical but due to all the purple mist, he couldn't see what was happening. He just hoped that you were okay.
"Yoongi, Hoseok!," Jin surfed towards Yoongi, Emily tailing behind him. The water gem bearer slid to his knees, blonde fringe falling over his eyes. He smacked his lips together as he scanned the two. "Are you guys— Oh God."
Seeing Jin's expression of horror, Yoongi was suddenly filled with dread. He suddenly heard Holly wail loudly in pain and whipped his head around instantly. The sight made his throat run dry.
Holly was on the ground, surrounded by a pool of its own blood. It cried in pain as it let out hitched breaths, a metal part of the hover bike protruding out of its abdomen.
"Holly," Yoongi's voice cracked as he reached his hands to Holly, hesitating when the poor dragon cried in pain. Tears were falling down his face. "Gods, Holly..."
"Y-Yoongi, Holly will be fine," Jin spoke slowly as he placed a hand on Yoongi's shoulder and squeezed with the intention of comforting him. "I promise."
Yoongi sniffled as Jin pulled the metal out of Holly, which made it cry out in pain. Water coated the dragon's body as it glowed and slowly healed it. The fire gem bearer whispered soft words of reassurance to his pet as it recovered.
It should have been me. Those thoughts rang in Yoongi's head as he watched Holly writhe in pain. Why can't I suffer instead of Holly?
There was a loud blast that cut off Yoongi's thoughts. He turned around, just to see a purple laser beam shoot across the open field. You tumbled to the ground head first and groaned in pain as dust rose around you.
Yoongi stared with wide eyes, his breaths becoming short and sharp. He stood up, ignoring Hoseok's warnings, and squinted his orange eyes, teeth gritted in anger. He lit flames over his palms, expecting to see Shay with a smug look on her face and glowing staff in her hands.
Never in a thousand years did Yoongi expect to see Taehyung instead.
"Taehyung, what the fuck are you doing?!," Namjoon screamed in disbelief, only adding onto the tension in the air.
Taehyung was standing in front of Shay, who was injured on the ground, glowing snake head staff in his hands. The Helian woman looked just as surprised as everyone else as she stared at the darkness gem bearer with wide eyes. Yoongi stared with an open mouth, unable to process any thoughts or speak any words.
"If you want to hurt my sister," Taehyung smirked and pointed his staff forward, his eyes dark and expression smug. "Then you have to go through me first."
For a moment, there was silence. Yoongi could feel the tension in the air thickening with each passing second. He glanced around at the crowd and scanned the expressions of his friends. Hoseok had his eyes widened behind his goggles. Jin was staring back at the fire gem bearer with a mixture of shock and disbelief, as if saying: I can't believe you were right this whole time.
Yoongi wanted to say that he wished he wasn't right either but he kept that thought to himself.
That made Yoongi turn towards your trembling figure. Sitting in between Namjoon and Jimin, who had come to your aid, you were shaking as you stared at Taehyung with wide and teary eyes, scratches dotting your arms and face. He glanced at Holly, who was still wailing in pain.
Yoongi thought about the time he and Taehyung ended up working together in Vlam. He thought about that the conversation they had and at how the darkness gem bearer had promised to protect you with his life.
Yet here you were, trembling in both misery and pain because of Taehyung.
Something inside Yoongi snapped, the fire gem turning purple in a flash. His vision darkened as he slowly stood up, his heartbeat slow yet deafening. Flames engulfed his arms and rose to his shoulders as his eyes glowed powerfully orange. On his back, flames shot up, forming a shape that resembled dragon's wings. Scales dotted his cheeks as he growled with bared pointed teeth.
Yoongi heard someone call his name but he was too out of it to recognize the person's voice. He flicked his eyes towards Taehyung, who was staring at him in shock, although he kept a stern expression on his face.
Seeing Shay still on the ground behind Taehyung, Yoongi smirked. The fire gem bearer jumped into the air, his flame wings spreading, before he flew downwards towards the Helian woman, both claws out as he licked his lips in anticipation.
Taehyung was barely able to push Shay away before he was tackled by Yoongi instead. The two rolled on the ground for a bit and became a tangled mess of purple mist and flames, the grey haired man wincing at how the darkness gem bearer had scratched his hand with his own claws.
Finally coming to a stop, Taehyung stepped on Yoongi's chest and hit him across the face with his staff. He kept throwing punches with a grin until the fire gem bearer caught one of his hands, which sizzled in his touch. The Helian screamed in pain.
Flipping them both and pinning Taehyung to the ground with his legs, Yoongi growled loudly and swiped his clawed hand, leaving three scratch marks on the darkness gem bearer's face. The Helian prince screamed as his right eye had also been scratched, blood trickling down his face.
"Wasn't this your plan? Huh?!," Yoongi hissed as he continue to slash his claws at Taehyung, who used his snake head staff to push him just high enough to avoid getting scratched again. "String us along for our own execution?!"
Yoongi stood up with a growl and shot pillars of flames from his arms. Taehyung made a forcefield over himself, the heat of the flames licking his shoulders. Someone screamed at them to stop.
"All those promises, all those things you said... were they all lies?!," Yoongi grabbed Taehyung's collar and pulled him upwards before growling at his face, hot breath literally smoking. "Answer me!"
There was a bit of silence, the surroundings become murmurs to Yoongi. Taehyung suddenly let out a chuckle, blood coating his hand as he covered his right eye. The fire gem bearer stared in confusion, the emotion conflicting with his anger. At the same time, this pissed him off. How could he just laugh like that?
"So what?," Taehyung smirked, his eye glowing a bright purple and mixing with a dark shade. His smirk turned cocky as he leaned forward, his and Yoongi's noses nearly touching. "I lied, alright, you've caught me red-handed. What are you going to do about it?"
Yoongi screamed out in fury and threw a flaming fist, punching Taehyung across the face. The Helian spat out blood as he recoiled backwards, a burn mark now on his cheek.
Another flaming fist came but this time, Taehyung was quick enough to dodge it. He swung his staff, hitting Yoongi in the jaw, before punching him in the face as well. The fire gem bearer fell to the ground back first.
Yoongi tried to get up but was stopped by Taehyung, who pointed his glowing snake head staff to his face. The grey haired man hissed loudly as purple mist started to coat them both. He stared into his dark eyes, failing to find any sort of reasoning behind his actions.
"Lost prince!"
A foreign voice came, making Taehyung peel his eyes away from Yoongi and towards the voice's owner. A portal stood in the middle of the field, the other side of it being the steel interior of a ship. Shay was in it, along with a man with dark hair and a little girl with long pink hair and vines tangled around her limbs. The fire gem bearer recognized them after remembering the profiles of the Great Six that had been shown to them back in the base.
"It's time to go," Belladonna spoke with an innocent grin, vines coiling around her tiny body as she grinned at Taehyung. "We must fall back."
Taehyung stared at Belladonna for a moment before turning back towards Yoongi, who was still hissing at him loudly. He slowly stepped backwards, moving his staff away and strapping it to his back. Wiping away the blood on his face with the back of his hand, he spun on his heel and walked towards the portal without sparing anyone else a glance.
Yoongi released a low growl under his throat and attempted to pounce at Taehyung once again but was stopped by a pair of arms wrapping around his waist. He thrashed around and flapped his flames wings, clawing at the man's arms and screaming at him to let him go.
"Yoongi!," Jin winced at the throbbing pains on his arms as Yoongi continued to claw on them. "Yoongi, it's me. Calm down! Please, just... I know you're frustrated, we all are, but being like this isn't going to do anything to help him, you or anybody else. Please..."
Yoongi closed his eyes, taking slow and deep breaths to calm himself down. His body was still coated with flames, the image of Taehyung walking towards the portal becoming a blur in his eyes. He then heard snapping of teeth before feeling something perch on his shoulder.
"Holly?," Yoongi whispered, his vision clearing and allowing him to recognize his dragon friend. Eyes turning back to normal and flame wings disappearing, he hugged Holly close to his chest as it purred. "Thank the Gods, you're alright."
"Tae?"
A voice squeaked from somewhere, followed by the soft tapping of feet on the ground, making Yoongi look up and face the voice's owner. Jungkook was standing in between Taehyung and the portal, blue eyes round and wide as he surveyed the area.
Jungkook opened his mouth to speak and ended up chewing on his bottom lip when he saw you trembling on the ground with scratches all over you. He turned towards Yoongi, who was bleeding and on fire. Then he faced Taehyung again, an awkward smile plastering across his face.
"Hey... Tae," Jungkook said slowly with a crooked grin, his wings flapping slightly behind him, along with the little ones on his head. "What... what are you doing?"
Truthfully, Yoongi expected Taehyung to at least say something to Jungkook, especially since he had given you the cold shoulder. However, the Helian didn't say anything, instead he stared at the angel in complete and utter silence.
And that itself seemed like a bad sign for Yoongi.
"Stop messin' around, Tae," Jungkook reached out and grabbed Taehyung's hand, the latter flicking his eyes towards it with a sharp glare. The Hemelian cocked his head and gestured towards Yoongi and the others. "Come on, let's go."
Again, a silence. Your mind was blank, you had no idea what to think at this moment. Jungkook still had a tight grip on Taehyung's hand.
"—me, please," Taehyung whispered, almost in a whimper, his trembling voice barely audible.
Jungkook scrunched his eyebrows together and tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? What did you sa—"
"I said," Taehyung's tone shifted to a stern one, his expression turning dark. He pulled his hand out of Jungkook's grip and bared his teeth at the angel. "Don't touch me."
Jungkook couldn't say anything, rather he wasn't given a chance to. Taehyung swiped his hand upwards, purple mist appearing and wrapping around the angel. He threw the Hemelian prince behind him, his body landing just in front of you.
"Get out of my way," Taehyung spoke without even glancing at Jungkook before walking towards the portal.
Yoongi didn't know what to think. Everybody just stared at Taehyung as he slowly came closer to Belladonna, who was watching with strangely large grin. He glanced at the others but he could tell that nobody had the courage to try and stop him. After all, it was obvious that he had made up his mind.
"Taehyung!," You suddenly called loudly, making Taehyung freeze with a foot inside the portal. Jungkook was in your arms, trembling as he clutched his swollen cheek. Yoongi expected a slight reaction, anything... but there was nothing. "Please..."
Taehyung turned slowly, blood dripping down his wounded right eye. Yoongi saw his side profile and watched his lips, hoping for at least one word. Again, nothing. The darkness gem bearer stepped into the portal, turning around completely as he disappeared with the members of the Great Six.
A Helian fighting ship in the air flew away, along with the rest of the army that decided to back away from the war in Hemel. Yoongi watched as the remaining fighting ships gathered into a circle in the blue sky above before disappearing into a flash of purple. In moments, the whole Helian fleet was gone.
Around them, the Hemelian army and citizens cheered at the disappearance of the Helians. It should have been a celebration, Yoongi and his friends were supposed to be happy about this. If Taehyung hadn't suddenly decided to join his home kingdom, they would have been just as joyful as everyone else.
"What...," Jimin breathed, failing to process what had just happened. He shook his head, orange fringe falling over his eyes. "What just happened?"
"Jimin," Hoseok was taking deep breaths and Yoongi could hear both the disbelief and disappointment in the earth gem bearer's voice. "Taehyung just betrayed us."
-
You weren't used to there being only eight people in the group. Currently sitting on one of the chairs in the lobby of Hemel's palace, your legs were still trembling as you remembered what had happened. Despite Jin's healing, your body was throbbing a bit due to the pain, a kind of pain you knew wasn't physical.
There was a thick tension in the air, a silence draping over everyone. Emily was sitting next to you, a hand squeezing your should. Jin was next to her, fingers squeezing his nose bridge as he sighed in frustration. Hoseok was sitting on the couch with both hands clasped over his nape, Jimin looking extremely confused next to him.
The only one in the room who was actually standing was Namjoon, who was walking back and forth, chin protruded as he murmured to himself. You could tell how stressed out he was at the moment. Truthfully, everyone was.
And this made you think about Taehyung. Never in your wildest dreams would you have expected him to suddenly betray everyone, especially after what he had done for the sake of the team. You recalled his fight with Yoongi and what he had said. Everything he did and said had all been a lie.
You balled your fists, nails digging into the skin of your thighs. Despite the truth slapping you in the face, you refused to believe that Taehyung would just up and join Hel like that. You couldn't understand why he would lie to everyone. You couldn't understand what he was thinking. You couldn't understand him. You always though you did, especially after the day he had opened up to you.
But in reality, you never understood Taehyung at all.
"Sky," Emily whispered as she grabbed your hand, a worried look on her face. You smiled at her with glassy eyes as you squeezed back her hand before giving her a small smile of gratitude.
"Okay."
Namjoon suddenly spoke, his deep voice grumbling in frustration and making everyone turn towards his direction. Jimin tilted his head at him.
"For the past ten minutes, I've been trying to think of a logical and plausible reason that could lead to Taehyung's betrayal and guess what!," Namjoon threw his arms up in the air and released a sarcastic laugh. He then sighed, his smile fading to a frown. "I have nothing. I just... I don't get it."
"Namjoon, I don't think any of us get it," Hoseok shook his head with a loud sigh as he pulled his goggles off his face. "I can't believe this just happened."
"Please be a bad dream, please be a bad dream," Jimin whispered to himself as he ran both of his hands up his face through his orange hair. He leaned on the sofa, craning his neck upwards.
The voices of the others became murmurs in your ears as your mind was once again clouded by your own thoughts. You glanced down at your hand, recalling that time on Greta's deck when you and Taehyung had intertwined hands. Now you didn't know what to believe. You felt like everything you ever knew about him was wrong.
And then you realized something. You remembered the day of the break-up with Yoongi and what he told you about Taehyung. Looking up, you slowly turned towards the fire gem bearer, who was sitting on one of the chairs with his legs spread, Holly curled over one of his thighs as he pet it.
You inhaled sharply as your throat closed and continued to stare at Yoongi. Shaking your head slowly, you released a scoff as you connected all the dots in your head. "You were right."
Yoongi turned towards you, his lips pursed into a thin line. You saw Jin look at you with a look of concern before facing the fire gem bearer and sighing loudly. By now, everyone in the room was staring at you.
"Yoongi, you were right," You slowly stood up and ran a hand through your silver hair, closing your eyes with a hiss as you recalled your argument with Yoongi. "About his plan, his motive, his lies... About everything—"
"Sky."
You didn't notice that Yoongi had walked towards you and you only realized this when you felt his warm hands on your shoulders. He stared at you for a few seconds before letting go of you and smiling a bit, his slanted eyes sorrowful.
There was a silence as everyone stared at you and Yoongi, anticipating whatever was coming. You were looking at the fire gem bearer, who was giving you a look of reassurance, although you could tell that he himself was unsure of what to say or do in this situation.
You knew that you were stupid, stupid for trusting Taehyung so much when you couldn't even trust Yoongi. Thinking back, you realized that it was your choice whether to believe him or not, no matter how wild his claims were. Now you knew that it was all biting you back in the ass. You deserved all the pain you were feeling.
But none of the others did. Especially Jungkook, who had quietly walked out of the room with Mingyu a few minutes ago.
"Listen, I—," Yoongi paused and smacked his lips together. Holly was on his shoulder, purring as it rubbed its snout on his cheek. The fire gem bearer smiled pet his dragon to reassure it before he faced you once again, an exasperated sigh escaping from his lips. "I... I don't want to be right."
You wanted to say something but you couldn't, the words choking up in your throat. Yoongi was staring at you with a mixture of both sadness and regret, Holly tilting its head on his shoulders. Turning to the side, you saw both Jin and Emily staring back at the two of you, sincere apologetic looks on their faces.
Opening your mouth, you were cut off by the loud slamming of an opening door.
Jungkook stood at the entrance of the lobby, all six wings folded behind his back, the little ones on his head drooping downwards sadly, blonde hair unkempt. One hand was pressed to the door, the other clutching a thick black book to his chest. He was wearing a fresh set of clothes, one that was pure white, shirt collared and the brand of Hemel over his heart, the thread of suit lined with gold. You could tell that this was his princely clothes.
Something was different about Jungkook and you were well aware of it. The angel's usually round and bright eyes were dark, void of any emotion. He was looking at the ground with a blank face, hands trembling as his grip on the book tightened.
"I'm sorry," Jungkook spoke with a flat voice, eyes still fixated to the ground. He stepped closer, making you notice how his blue eyes were swollen. "I should have told you guys about him."
Jungkook paused in front of Yoongi, who was staring back at him questionably. He shoved the black book to the fire gem bearer's chest, Holly screeching a bit at the sudden movement.
"I always thought he'd tell you himself, yeah?," Jungkook tilted his head before releasing a scowl. He brushed past Yoongi, who was staring at the book in his hands. "It's time you guys found out."
Jungkook walked towards the window and crossed his arms as he stared outside. You stared at his back, just as everyone else did. Honestly, you felt bad for the angel, especially because there was an aura of sadness and grief surrounding him like a veil.
"Hey, Cloud," Yoongi spoke suddenly, making you turn towards him. He flipped the book and raised it, giving you a full view of its title — Grand History: A Guide to the Royal Families.
Your eyes widened as Yoongi passed to you since there was an idea in your mind, one that could possibly explain why Jungkook was giving you this book. However, you didn't want to assume anything and braced yourself.
Nodding at Yoongi, he stepped closer as you flipped the book open, feeling his hot breath brush your cheeks. Holly peered between your heads, its whiskers ticking you slightly.
You felt everyone's stares boring into your head as you continued to flip the book open, pausing when you noticed that one of the pages had a folded corner. Suddenly feeling anxious, you hesitated a bit before you turned to the page.
"Leaders of the demons," You read out loud for everyone as you scanned the purple themed title page. "Hel's royal family — the Bristenes."
Not wanting to delay it any further, you ignored how your chest tightened and continued to read. Yoongi stared at the pages as you flipped through the chapter, scanning through the ancestry of Hel's royal family, a various mixture of great kings and queens.
You reached the final part of the chapter, subtitled Present. Feeling your chest tighten, you hesitated a bit before reading the words out loud. "King Michael Bristene was tagged to be Hel's most powerful king. Born with the powers of dark magic, he was thought by the people to be the reincarnation of their first ruler, King Gabriel."
"Queen Loriza Bristene was his wife, the first queen of Hel to have no traces of Vredeian blood," Yoongi continued when he noticed that your voice was starting to tremble. He held the book as he continued to read to himself, his eyes widening as he finished. "She was human."
Immediately, a look of shock plastered on everyone's faces. You recalled Taehyung's words, at how he and his family had been discriminated due to his mother being human. The fact that the treatment wasn't stated in the history book at all made you sick in the stomach.
Then again, was Taehyung even telling the truth that time?
You snapped out of your thoughts and flipped through the pages. "The fate of their children was uncertain, for they were the first offsprings of the royal family to have been born with human blood. Their firstborn was a son named—"
Pausing, you had to double read the page to make sure that you weren't seeing things. You ran your hand through the prince's portrait, his face all too familiar to you. Yoongi gasped lightly next to you.
"Taehyung Bristene."
For a moment, silence. You could practically hear the gears in everyone's heads turning as they processed the information.
"What the f—," Namjoon reacted immediately, pausing when he saw Jimin nearby, both hands pressed to his face. "What the flower?!"
"Secondborn was a daughter named Shayana Bristene... Shay," Yoongi was barely able to read out the text before you dropped the book out of shock. Holly whimpered on his shoulders. "Holy shi—"
"The Prince of Hel," Jimin muttered, both hands clasped over his mouth. "Taehyung is the Prince of Hel."
"He's hid so much from us," Namjoon spoke through gritted teeth, her hands balling into fists as they trembled in anger. Jimin's expression shifted to a blank one. You couldn't read his expression and assumed that he was feeling extremely conflicted about everything. "What else could he be hiding?!"
You swore that you could feel the ground shaking as Namjoon's anger continued to rise but you hoped it was just your imagination.
"Guys," Hoseok spoke suddenly, snapping you out of your thoughts and making you realize that you couldn't focus at all. A gust of wind blew as the air gem bearer floated to his feet. "I know that this probably makes no sense and that it contradicts everything else I said so far but... I know Taehyung. He wouldn't do this for no rea—"
"You know Taehyung?"
Jungkook growled, making you and everyone else turn towards him. His eyes were glowing a bright blue, teeth gritted as he stomped towards a stunned Hoseok. His wings flapped furiously behind him, white mist coating him. He was clenching his fists, the veins of his arms popping.
You gulped. The anger was practically dripping from Jungkook. Suddenly having the urge to step forward and protect Hoseok, you attempted to approach him but was stopped by someone clutching your arm. Yoongi shook his head at you, mouthing at you to not interfere.
"Really? You say you know Taehyung?!," Jungkook hissed loudly as he stood in front of Hoseok, their foreheads nearly bumping. He then scoffed loudly, a painful smile spreading across his face. "What a fucking joke. I've known him since we were children and I still have no clue what goes on in his damn head!"
Jin stood up behind you and Yoongi, his glowing blue as a puddle of water appeared under his feet. Emily was sitting next to him silently. "Jungkook, this isn't the time to—"
"Stop sugarcoating the situation and just admit it!," Jungkook snapped before Jin could finish speaking. He glanced at everyone else, eyebrows furrowed together as he took long and deep breaths. His next words came in a whisper. "You don't know Taehyung. None of us do."
A silence. You could feel the tension in the air thickening with each passing second. Nobody dared to say anything, especially because Jungkook looked like he would explode in fury if someone even tried to.
Jungkook suddenly whipped his head around, making you flinch slightly. He squinted his eyes to the direction of the sofa, where both Jimin and Namjoon were.
"Seriously, Jimin?," Jungkook scoffed, Jimin looking even more anxious at the mention of his name. "You're really considering the option of finding Taehyung so you can, I quote, bring him back to his senses? That's so stupid."
"Jungkook," Namjoon hissed with glowing brown eyes as he stood in front of Jimin with a protective stance. Now you were sure that the ground beneath your feet was shaking. "Stop it."
Jungkook stared at Namjoon for a solid minute. If looks could kill, you knew that both the angel and the earth gem bearer would be dead by now. The silence was suffocating, the tension wrapping around everyone with a sinister touch.
"Well," Jungkook spoke suddenly as he shrugged and spun on his heel before marching towards the door. "If you guys are going to dwell on something as useless as that... you're on your own."
You tried to speak but failed when your voice clogged your throat instead. Everyone stared at Jungkook as he walked away, still processing what he meant. Mind a total mess, you couldn't believe that this was happening all at once. It made your head ache.
Truthfully, you were having difficulty reading Jungkook's actions. Was he angry? Scared? Disappointed? You had no clue since he was masking his emotions well.
"Wait, what?!," Emily reacted first as she stood up with raised arms, eyebrows scrunched together with a mixture of both frustration and disbelief. She gritted her teeth and screamed. "Jungkook, you are not just going to give up like this!"
Jungkook paused, his body already halfway through the doorway. He turned around slowly as his wings folded behind him, making you notice the faint scar just above his cheekbone.
"I already have."
And as Jungkook slammed the door and left everyone in a deafening silence, you realized what the angel truly felt.
-
Jungkook was sitting on his bed, eyes blank as he stared at the white walls silently. The room was dark, the only source of light being the window behind him. Wings folded behind his back, he rubbed a feather in between his fingers as he breathed slowly.
Just moments ago, Jungkook had witnessed his friends walking towards Greta through his bedroom window, the Hemelians cheering as they passed. It was obvious how his people thought of them — they were heroes, both for Hemel and the world.
Jungkook knew he was no hero. He just didn't fit in that category. He was the prince of Hemel, someone who merely needs to rule in the future. He wasn't someone capable of saving the world.
Besides, what was there to save?
Jungkook remembered how Queen Miranda had knocked on his door a few minutes ago, trying to convince him to let her in for comfort. He told her not to, that he was fine, that everything was alright.
It wasn't. He wasn't.
Jungkook slowly brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. He leaned on his knees and sighed loudly. The prince glanced around his room and went all over the details. For a second, he stared at the picture of him and Kiana, the glass over her face still shattered.
Closing his eyes, Jungkook wondered if there was such a thing as a spell that could wipe out all his memories of Taehyung. Was it a desperate move? Probably. But it wouldn't hurt to ask Ashleya, senior Hemelian magical and Joy's mother.
Sighing once more, Jungkook waved a hand, light mist forming around the picture frame as it floated towards him. He stared at it for a moment before opening the frame and taking out the photo.
Folded inside the frame was another photo, one of Jungkook, Kiana and Taehyung sitting on the steps of Hel's palace together. All three of them were young, innocent, genuine smiles on their faces. The angel himself had a peace sign with his fingers next to his face. Taehyung was grinning brightly. Kiana's arms were swung over both their shoulders.
Jungkook stared at Taehyung, studying his box smile and bright eyes. The Hemelian's jaw clenched as he continued to stare and recalled the image of the darkness gem bearer stepping through the portal, eyes dead and gone. His words were still ringing in his mind — Don't touch me. Get out of my way.
"Why?," Jungkook whispered to himself, eyes still blank. His hands trembled as he held the picture in his hands. Gritting his teeth, his expression shifted into one of anger for a few seconds. The next words came in a loud, broken scream. "Why would you do this?!"
Jungkook's voice echoed throughout the room, his own screams ringing in his ears before a silence came. Fingertips glowing hot, he instinctively dropped the photo. His expression slowly turned blank again as it fell. He noticed that Taehyung's place in the picture was now dotted with burnt marks, his face completely wiped out.
However, the picture never landed on the floor. Instead, a hand slowly appeared in a misty texture before catching it. Jungkook looked up and became face to face with Kiana.
"So you kept the picture, huh?," Kiana whispered as she glanced at the picture, a nostalgic smile spreading across her face. "And to think that this was supposedly lost back in Hel."
Jungkook's eyes drooped as he stared down to the ground, lowering his knees and bowing his head, blonde hair falling over his face. "What are you doing here."
Kiana sighed. Placing the picture on the desk, she slowly walked towards Jungkook and sat next to him, both hands folded over her lap. "Listen—"
"Did you know?," Jungkook slouched, his elbows resting on his thighs. He side-eyed Kiana, who was giving him a worried glance. "About Taehyung?"
Kiana smacked her lips together. Jungkook could tell that she was hesitating with to answer and he wondered if even she was going to lie to him as well. He stared at her but, unlike Taehyung, he could tell what the Helian was thinking.
Jungkook looked away before Kiana could make eye contact with him. The Helian woman spoke slowly, her voice dripping with sorrow. "...If I knew, I would have told you."
"That makes both of us then," Running a hand through his blonde hair, Jungkook let out a scoff. He shook his head and leaned on the pole frame of his bed. "You know... I really had my hopes up."
Kiana leaned towards him, making Jungkook think that it was a sign for him to continue.
"When Taehyung joined the team, I thought I was given a chance to set things straight. To turn things back to the way they used to be," Jungkook paused and blinked rapidly, feeling tears brimming in his eyes. You're such a crybaby. He sighed at the memory. "But I was wrong. So fucking wrong, yeah? I thought being with him would finally make me happy again but I... I just don't see the point in anything anymore. Without the two of you..."
Jungkook trailed off before he could finish and chewed on his bottom lip to prevent himself from releasing a sob. Kiana was still staring at him, a hand squeezing his shoulder. He should have felt comforted, really, but instead he felt nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"Jungkook," Kiana spoke slowly. She scooted closer to Jungkook and wrapped her arms around him before leaning her head on his shoulder. "I know how you feel. I know that you're upset at Taehyung... we all are."
For a moment, Jungkook let himself drown in the warmth Kiana gave. It was ironic, after all she was a spirit, a dark and grim reminder of how he had already lost her. He gently held the Helian woman's hand and squeezed it.
"But please...," Kiana moved her hand to Jungkook's cheek, cupping it as she made him face her. His eyes were still blank. "Please don't give up on the world just yet. You don't have to this for me or for him... Do it for them."
Jungkook stared at Kiana, his expression remaining stoic. "Them?"
"Your friends," Kiana shook her head slightly and carefully caressed Jungkook's cheek with her fingertips. The sensation made chills run down the angel's spine. "The wonders, Emily and Sky. They're proof that the world is still worth fighting for."
Jungkook thought about them for a moment. He recalled the fun times during meals, when all nine of them would chatter noisily while enjoying Jin's food. The water gem bearer would crack some jokes, which either lead to a literal burn from Yoongi or an endless string of laughter from Jimin.
Whenever there was a bit of tension, Hoseok would try his best to break the ice and in rare cases, it would make things more awkward. Either Emily or Namjoon would end up breaking something on the table by accident (sometimes). You always ate silently.
Then there were the three stooges — according to Jin — of the Single Men Club; Jimin, Namjoon and Yoongi. Jungkook remembered how each meeting would end up as either an emotional roller coaster or floodgate of tears. There was no in between. He smiled at their last meeting, before arriving at Hemel, and at how they all agreed that they would miss one another.
Jungkook realized one thing. It was never about saving his world, it was about saving theirs. And even if he had to put his own happiness at stake, he was going to make sure that everyone else got the lives they deserved.
"I... don't really have a choice, do I?," Jungkook cracked a small smile, Kiana sighing in relief next to him.
"You still do, Jungkook," Kiana smiled, her hand moving down to squeeze Jungkook's other hand. "I just wish that it would be less hard on you."
Jungkook had to urge to tell Kiana that he didn't have the courage to charge back into an adventure without her and Taehyung by his side. Then he figured that it was the team's purpose — none of them would ever feel alone once they were together.
And Jungkook knew what he had to do.
"Kiana," Jungkook stood up and spread his wings, rolling his shoulders as he exhaled. He faced her with a soft smile. "Thank you. You always know what to say."
"Oh please," Kiana stood up as well, a smug expression flashing across her face as she thumped her own chest. The atmosphere was getting softer. "I've always been the wisest among us three. You boys just don't like the idea of listening to a girl like me."
"It's because you were a chatterbox," Jungkook teased with a laugh.
Kiana's expression shifted to one of shock, then she let out a fake dramatic gasp. "I was not!"
"Yes you were."
Jungkook smirked as he held Kiana's waist and pulled her closer before sealing their lips together. He intended for it be a short and sweet kiss but instead, it turned very passionate. He pulled away, smiling cheekily at Kiana's flushed face, both her hands on his nape as he pressed their foreheads together.
"And I always knew how to shut you up."
"You're so cheesy," Kiana huffed loudly, cheeks still tinted pink. Jungkook laughed with a bunny smile, then his eyes widened when he was pulled back. "Come here."
There was the sudden sound outside, one that sounded like loud propellers, which cut off Jungkook and Kiana's kiss. They both turned towards the window, seeing Greta slowly rising, Hoseok manning the captain's wheel.
"That's our ride," Kiana beamed as she pulled away from Jungkook and leaned towards the window. She turned to the angel before we could speak. "Yes, our. I'm in Sky's head, remember?"
"I'm assuming that you haven't clarified everything to her yet," Jungkook stepped backwards and summoned a ball of light over his palm. Kiana's expression turned gloomy. "You'll have to."
"I will. Let's go before they leave you behind," Kiana grabbed Jungkook's sleeve, her figure slowly fading into mist. "By the way... when you see Tae, bring him back to his senses, okay?"
Jungkook smiled as Kiana disappeared. He faced the window before tossing the ball of light, the glass shattering as shards flew, creating his escape.
"I'll get him back."
As Jungkook jumped out the window and spread his wings, the Hemelians cheered below him.
-
To say she was confused was an understatement for Shay. She couldn't understand why Taehyung, who she had deemed as the kingdom's greatest traitor and a man who had no chance for redemption, was suddenly sided with her and the Great Six. Not to mention that he had betrayed his former team in the process.
Long ago, Shay would have considered to welcome Taehyung once he decided to side with Hel. But now she was just confused. Somehow, it didn't make sense, it didn't sit well with her at all.
Balling her fists, the Helian princess' nails left scratch marks on the metal table. Shay was angry. She didn't know why she was — Taehyung was by her side, something she longed for dreaded at the same time, but she still felt angry. Furious, even. From her experience, nothing ever came without motive. Good things didn't come for free.
And she was sure that Taehyung had a motive. He had to.
Shay sat on her seat with crossed legs and sighed, thoughts floating in her head as she glanced around the conference room. Two open rectangular windows were at each side of the room, giving her a view of the blue sky outside, fresh air blowing into the ship. Across her was a hologram screen glowing purple, Hel's logo flashing on it.
Six seats were placed around the round table but only five seats were occupied. Shay glanced at her teammates and observed them. Belladonna giggled as she sat on a throne of vines, long pink hair flowing down her chest. Massimo was next to her, smiling as the young girl grew small red roses on his rock arm.
To Shay's right, Medusa flicked her snake tongue as she tapped the table top with her claw, creating a repetitive knocking sound. Sitting next to her was Animo, who was just staring at everyone with crossed arms, a stoic expression on his face.
Shay was a bit annoyed by the fact that nobody seemed bothered by Taehyung being in the ship with them. Sighing loudly, she placed her staff on the table before running both her hands up her face and through your hair.
"No shouting today, huh," Medusa flicked her tongue, eyes half mast as she stared at Shay with a smug expression. The scales on her cheeks with shining. "You usually shout about your brother. Are you a bit shy because he's here?"
"Shut up," Shay hissed, eyes flashing purple for a few seconds.
"Medusa is right," Animo spoke before folding his hands together and letting his chin rest on it. He flicked his eyes at Shay, dark hair gelled up to expose his forehead. "You've been awfully quiet ever since Taehyung's arrival. You do know that there are... more important things you should be thinking about now, even more than that brother of yours, yes? Like how we're supposedly going to report our disastrous mission of eradicating Hemel to your father."
Shay suddenly rose from her seat, causing to fall behind her. She slammed her fist on the table angrily, although none of the Great Six flinched at the action. "Do you want to give me a reason to yell?! Are you insinuating that I am unable to fulfill my duties—"
There was a beep that cut off Shay, making her turn towards the hologram screen. A circular loading symbol flashes, big and bolded words above it — Incoming Transmission: King of Hel.
Shay gave a sharp look to the rest of her team as she used purple mist to pick up her chair. Everyone shuffled to their positions as she sat down and laced her hands together before placing them on the table. Massimo unrolled his sleeve to hide the flowers Belladonna grew on his arm.
It took a few seconds until the transmission on the screen loaded, revealing none other than King Michael of Hel — Shay's father.
"So," King Michael said slowly as he stared at each of them for a good five seconds. He was sitting on his throne, both arms crossed over his chest and expression blank. The six jewels on his crown were all a dark grey, except for Hel's that glowed a powerful purple. "I was informed that you lot left a bit too early. Mind giving me a report?"
Shay swallowed before glancing at her other members, trying to read their opinions. They all just stared back, expecting her to handle the situation. Animo tilted his head and made a gesture at her to reply. Tch, sucks being the Princess.
"Well, father—"
"Do not address me as your father, Shay," King Michael snapped before Shay could continue speaking. The others looked away from the scene with the exception of Animo.
Shay balled her fists, knuckles turning white as she inhaled to drown out her anger. "...Your Highness. I am proud to say that the mission—"
"Was an absolute disaster!," Belladonna giggled as she pet a small Venus Flytrap plant on her lap. Shay glared at her and groaned loudly in frustration while Animo pinched his nose bridge. The rest gave her a look.
King Michael narrowed his eyes at Shay before turning towards Belladonna with a smile and clasped his hands together. An obviously fake one, may she add. "Ah, young Belladonna, always the most honest of the bunch. Go ahead, tell me what happened."
"Well," Belladonna dragged out the word and tapped her own chin as she thought of it. Vines curled on her arms before she beamed. "We did cause a lot of destruction in Hemel! Although... we weren't able to take out Hemel's Crowned Prince or any of the wonders."
The guardian is alive too. Shay wanted to point out how important that was but she knew that was something she'd rather keep to herself.
"The mission was simple," King Michael hissed as he faced Shay, who had already braced herself for this moment. Her legs started to tremble unconsciously. Massimo gave her a worried glance. "All you had to do was destroy Hemel or kill one of those idiotic wonders. If you can't do that, what else can you do?!"
"Father."
Shay's eyes widened at the voice, making her stand and turn around completely. Leaning on the doorway was Taehyung, arms crossed as he watched the scene unfold, snake head staff in one of his hands. There was no expression on his face whatsoever. A black eyepatch lined with purple thread was strapped across his head, covering his right eye.
There was a moment of silence as Taehyung stepped forward, all eyes boring into him as he slowly took the empty seat next to Shay. He glanced at his sister for a moment before looking back at King Michael.
"This mission wasn't a complete failure," Taehyung sat down and crossed his arms, Shay and the others still staring at him. He then smirked mischievously, his expression darkening along with his eye. "I do have some useful information. Their plan of travel, worst fears, weaknesses and all that. They were way too open with me."
"...Ah, so you've finally regained your senses as a true Helian," King Michael mirrored the smirk on Taehyung's face, leaning forward as he took a good look at the darkness gem bearer. Shay's eye twitched. "Sly. I like it. Welcome back, son... or can I say, the newest member of the Great Six."
What?! Shay dug her nails into the table top as she gritted her teeth. She had the strong urge to hit Taehyung upside the head with her staff but controlled herself. Instead, she exhaled loudly. The rest of the members glanced at each other before staring at the Helian Prince, not having the courage to protest.
He had some nerve to be sitting where she sat, Shay thought. She wanted to. Illusia was one of the strongest in their team and Shay knew that someone like her traitorous brother wasn't worthy of her spot.
But when it came to King Michael, his words were always final.
"Now," King Michael's smirk turned evil as his eyes glowed purple. "Tell me more."
Taehyung's smile faded for a few seconds before he chuckled deeply. He leaned forward to the table, placing an elbow on it as he cupped his cheek. Raising his other hand, purple mist rose from his fingertips as he seeped out a very intimidating aura.
"Well... why don't we start with the guardian first?"
-
A/N - i love evil Tae bye
Clarification: this isn't the start of season two lol jk amd taesky's arc are actually part of season 3! I was never able to put separate borders but this series is split into three seasons! Y'all will see once i put the borders hehe
Anyways I'm already attached to 15 yo Belladonna lmao and get ready to see more team dynamics of the Great Six! I'm literally so excited for this arc omfg
Thank you guys soooooo much for waiting this long!!! It's almost finals week so I'm swamped with requirements huhu and cos of that I'm not sure when my next update will be ;; I'll make them long to bawi nalang hahaha
See you guys in the next chap! Thank you so much for your patience!! Ba-bye!