Shay wasn't sure what to feel at the moment. She was in the sparring room and was sitting on one of the chairs as Massimo and Belladonna sparred at the center. However, the only thing in her mind was the imprinted image of Taehyung crying last night.
Honestly, Shay had no idea why someone like Taehyung would be crying in his bedroom right before dinner time. She did see Massimo storming away from his door but she didn't think he would be able to impact him enough to reduce him to tears.
Hope Tata is okay. Shay still could not believe that she had written that down. The thought itself made her cringe internally. She felt like she had just exposed herself with a tiny piece of paper.
At the same time, a small part of Shay hoped that Tata really was okay.
Shay shifted her position on her seat. She tapped the head of her staff in a rhythm and watched Belladonna order her snakes Venus Flytraps to launch themselves at Massimo. Groaning loudly, the princess ran her hands through her dark hair and craned her neck upwards.
"You okay there, Princess?"
Hearing the mocking tone, Shay faced the voice's owner with a raised eyebrow. Medusa sat on a chair next to the princess, legs crossed and expression smug. She was gently petting a green snake that was curled on top of her lap.
"You've been extremely disoriented," Medusa mused. She hissed along with her snake. "Everyone has noticed."
Shay hissed loudly. She did not want to have this conversation right now. "I swear, Medusa, if this is about my brother—"
"I did not mention the Lost Prince," Medusa's snake tongue flicked, her beady eyes stared right into Shay.
Shay groaned. She glanced at Belladonna's vines wrapping around Massimo's metal arms. Animo was standing on her other side and was silently watching her and Medusa talk. The princess then leaned forward with a scowl, her chair creaking loudly.
"Why don't you save that energy for sparring, Medusa?," Shay spat with a burning glare, her voice laced with venom. "Your concern has been acknowledged."
Medusa chuckled, her pointed teeth poking her bottom lip. She carefully placed the snake on her shoulder and Shay watched silently as it slid out of view. "Just asking on the team's behalf."
Shay was silenced by that. Honestly, she didn't know she felt about that. Medusa was obviously trying to pry into very personal (family) matters but a small part of her was actually glad. But why? She had always despised people nosing into her business.
"There is nothing to be concerned about," Shay finally said after much thinking. She turned away from Medusa, who she knew was smirking mischievously behind her. "This will not affect the team."
This will not affect me either. Shay almost said that out loud but she decided to kept those weird thoughts to herself.
Medusa just shrugged, her expression saying a sarcastic Sure thing as she continued to smirk. Shay rolled her eyes and looked back at the sparring members of the Great Six. Both her eyebrows raised in shock when she saw Belladonna lifted in the air by the vines wrapped around her waist. Massimo was on the ground, the thick vines dangerously coiled around his neck.
All of Shay's thoughts of Taehyung instantly flew out of the window at the sight of Belladonna evilly smirking at the literally breathless Massimo. The team leader stood up, her chair falling to the ground with a loud crashing sound. Medusa and Animo merely stared back calmly.
"Belladonna, stop!," Shay swung her arm, eyes flashing purple as her voice boomed across the training. Her steps were heavy as she walked forward. "You're going to kill Massimo!"
Belladonna flicked her dark eyes at Shay, the smile on her face seemingly becoming more sinister by the second. Fortunately, the young girl retracted the vines before Massimo could completely be cut off of oxygen.
Shay turned around and expected Medusa and Animo to react. When neither of them did, she clicked her tongue and stepped towards Massimo angrily. She had almost watched one of her teammates get killed and it infuriated her to the core.
"That was nothing," Massimo waved Shay off as he took deep breaths and stood up with a wobble. He wiped the blood drops on his cheeks with his metal arms. The princess watched awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say. "I'm fine."
"Bring him to the clinic for recovery," Shay spoke after a moment of silence. She glared at two soldiers standing at the side, the both of them flinching at her glare. "Now."
As the two soldiers stepped forward and dragged Massimo out of the sparring room, Shay turned towards Belladonna, who was calmly sitting on a throne of tangled vines and petting a small Venus Flytrap on her lap. The young girl was even humming to the little plant. The princess' eye twitched at the sight.
"Before you start," Belladonna spoke slowly with a stupid grin, the Venus Flytrap purring loudly on her lap. Shay scoffed. "I had no intention of killing Massimo at all."
"You did have him on the ground with your vines wrapped around his neck," Medusa shrugged and tapped the arm of her chair with her nails.
"I was thinking about that sparkling wonder," Belladonna snapped as the vines continued to curl around her arms. She then chuckled deeply with dark eyes. "I must have gotten carried away. Oopsies."
Shay sighed. She glanced at Animo, who just stared in silence. Since Belladonna was the closest to Illusia, it made sense that she would react this way to her death. Still, she wished that the young girl would at least try to control herself around her own team. After losing one member, the leader did not want to lose another.
The door to the training room slammed open, making everyone face the source of the sound. Taehyung was there, both eyebrows raised and a hand pressed to the doorframe. He was wearing a fit black body suit lined with purple thread, the brand of Hel stitched over his heart.
Shay stared at Taehyung before looking down at her own body suit. Her clothes were originally a crop-top paired with shorts but she wore a purple inner and matching stockings to conceal her skin. She hated wearing such exposing clothes since it made her feel so vulnerable.
"Lost Prince," Medusa chirped and rose from her seat. She placed a hand over her chest and bowed slowly. "I have heard that your coronation is due this week."
Shay scoffed and rolled her eyes. She recalled the meeting she and Taehyung had with their father shortly after reuniting with Yeontan. All he talked about was how happy he was that his son has returned and that they'd celebrate with a big ball. She wasn't even acknowledged.
And Shay hid the fact that she wasn't only angry but hurt as well.
"Yes, Medusa, that is true," Taehyung nodded and stepped forward, his footsteps echoing in the now silent training room. He made eye contact with Shay, who stared back at him.
In that moment, Shay felt like she and Taehyung had spoken through mere eye contact. She could basically hear him begging her not to mention what she saw last night to anyone. Honestly, the princess never even thought of sharing that image to anyone. She knew it was a private manner, something only between them two.
Shay nodded. Taehyung gave her a small smirk before he turned away, now expressionless. "I see that you guys have been sparring."
"Speaking of sparring," Belladonna mused from her throne of vines. She was lifted higher into the air and was swung across the room, landing perfectly on Medusa's seat. "Animo, why don't you show the Lost Prince what you've got?"
Animo exhaled through his nose with his hands clasped behind his back. "Belladonna, you know that my abilities—"
"I can be your sparring partner," Medusa shrugged and cracked her neck as she walked towards the center of the room. The snake enchantress flicked her tongue and chuckled. "Come on, old man. I won't go easy on you."
Animo's eye twitched visibly, which made Shay palm her face because Medusa ticked off the eldest member of the Great Six. Taehyung raised an eyebrow as the tall man pointed at a soldier standing silently next to the door. "You."
The soldier blinked. His hands traveled around the gun in his hands as he swallowed loudly. "Me?"
"Let me borrow your body," Animo hissed loudly with a clenched jaw.
A silence fell in the room due to the awkwardness of that question. Taehyung, however, only looked curious.
"I suggest you do as he says," Shay finally spoke and shattered the ice in the room. Both the soldier and Taehyung glanced at her, one afraid and the other intrigued. She put a hand on her waist. "No questions asked."
The poor soldier swallowed dryly as all the members of the Great Six stared at him expectantly. Sighing, he gave Animo a hesitant nod.
Animo rubbed his arms before sitting down, both hands folded over his lap and eyes shut tightly. Taehyung instinctively moved away from the soldier, who looked more terrified than ever. Shay and the others stared in anticipation; whenever the eldest member used his abilities, they were always left in awe.
"Bell, guard my body for me," Animo ordered, eyes still closed. Belladonna nodded with sparkling eyes, the Venus Flytrap now asleep on her lap.
A Vredeian enchantment left Animo's lips as his body started glowing in a faint purple hue. Black mist started to seep from his body and float its way towards the extremely nervous soldier. Shay watched as the soldier was engulfed by the mist for a moment and saw Taehyung staring at the sight with wide eyes.
When the mist faded, it revealed the soldier, who was now much calmer than he was moments ago. The solider — no, Animo — inspected his hands before he ran them down his armored torso. After curling his fingers in and out, he sighed, eyes now glowing a bright purple shade.
"I guess this will do," Animo murmured with the soldier's voice. He rubbed his hands together and stepped in front of Medusa.
"Strange choice, Animo," Medusa mocked with a smirk. She waved her hands and gestured towards the other members of the team. Shay felt uncomfortable at the thought of Animo possessing her. "You have many good options here."
"It makes for good practice, Medusa," Animo cocked his gun and released a small smile. "Now stop stalling."
"Fine," Medusa chuckled. She crossed her arms over her chest, the claws on her fingertips growing into talons. Snakes slithered around her feet as she hissed loudly. "I still won't go easy on you, old man."
Shay stepped backwards to get a better view of the fight. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall as Medusa charged ahead. Animo shot at her continuously but the snake enchantress was quick and was able to dodge all the bullets.
Medusa then pounced at Animo with extended claws, white hair flowing in the wind and pointed teeth bared. The soldier rolled on the floor and evaded the attack before he took a knife from his belt and tossed it at his opponent.
Even though Medusa was able to avoid getting stabbed by bending downwards, the knife's blade still grazed her cheek. She brushed her scaled fingers and smirked at the blood. "Interesting."
"I thought you wouldn't go easy on me?," Animo mocked with a mischievous smirk. He swiftly reloaded the gun, the empty magazine falling to the floor.
"I wasn't," Medusa replied before charging once more.
Shay was silent as she continued to watch Medusa and Animo — still in the soldier's body — brawl. She twirled her dark hair in her fingers and glanced at Belladonna, who was more busy playing with her plant than the fight. Sighing, the princess glanced near the doorway but was shocked to see that Taehyung was no longer there.
"So," Taehyung suddenly spoke from next to Shay. The princess quickly masked her shock and turned around to see her brother leaning on the wall as well, arms crossed over his chest. From her view, she could only see his eyepatch. "You took care of Yeontan, huh."
Shay smacked her lips together. Although she was afraid to admit it, Taehyung's words did fluster her more than it should have. "I only did because nobody else was willing to. It's not like—"
"Thank you."
Shay paused, the shock making her throat close. She stared at Taehyung who was just looking ahead and smiling to himself. In that moment, the princess recalled some childhood memories with her brother and at how they'd sneak out of the palace every night after practice to play with Yeontan. Something blossomed in her chest — an emotion she could not describe.
"Yeontan aside, what have you been up to?," Taehyung whispered, his voice barely heard by Shay.
Shay turned back towards Medusa and Animo. The soldier was struggling with a sea of snakes. After collecting her thoughts, she spoke. "Training with the team. They're the best of the best. I should know because I chose them myself."
It was Taehyung's turn to glance at Shay. He had an expression of both shock and intrigue. Then, he chuckled with a small smirk on his face. "I see. That is very... interesting."
Shay turned around as well and met Taehyung's eyes. For a moment, the siblings forgot about their surroundings and only shared a feeling of nostalgia. "Brother—"
The door slammed open once more, cutting Shay's thoughts and making her face the doorway. She squinted her eyes at the figure hidden in the shadows but once she recognized who it was, a small gasp left her lips.
King Michael stood at the doorway, both hands clasped behind his back and long purple cape flowing to the ground. He had a stern expression with a thick dark beard and mustache on his face. He wore his royal armor, the brand of Hel painted on the metal over his heart. On his head was a crown with seven stones but only the center glowed with a deep purple shade.
Shay instantly stiffened but Taehyung stood in front of her before their father could notice. The prince snarled and balled his hand into a fist, purple mist swirling around it. Animo instantly shot back into his own body. Everyone apart from the royal siblings bowed down to King Michael.
"Father," Taehyung's voice was shaky. He raised his staff and pointed it at King Micheal with trembling hands. "What... what brings you here?"
King Michael chuckled and stepped forward, his footsteps echoing in the now silent training room. "Relax, son. I just wanted to check on my lovely children."
A silence. Taehyung's hands continued to tremble. Shay gritted her teeth and watching with furious eyes as King Michael stepped forward slowly, irritatingly slow. Everyone else watched in silence, all aware of the King's every movement.
"I see that you still have that dreadful slouch, Taehyung," King Michael smiled, the action making Shay's blood freeze, and carefully pushed down Taehyung's staff. "Some things don't change, do they?"
Taehyung was obviously trying to raise his staff but King Michael, whose hand was glowing purple, prevented this. He then glanced at Shay, who tensed the moment they made eye contact. She unconsciously materialized a dagger in her hand.
"Shay, dear, do speak up. You know I don't like it when you're quiet," King Michael spoke softly but every word sent a chill down Shay's spine. "Though if you do not have anything important to say, keep it."
Shay's jaw clenched even more, making her whole face tremble. She had the strong urge to stab her father right then and there but a small voice in her head told her not to, that those actions would lead to a consequence so grave that not even she would be able to get back up from it.
So, when King Michael released Taehyung's staff and towards the sparring area, Shay only gave him a glare. "So, since my children are finally together, I'd like to check up on your abilities as well. Why don't you two spar, just like the good old days?"
Shay and Taehyung stared at each other, both horrified at King Michael's request. In that moment, the princess remembered all the times they sparred and how she lost to her brother every single time. She remembered the consequences of her losses, the beatings, the isolation. She trembled. No, no more.
But Shay knew that saying no was not an option since it would lead to an even worse consequence. Taehyung knew this too. So, the poor siblings could do nothing but glance at each other as they stepped into the training area, King Michael in between them. Medusa and the soldier took a seat.
"I want to see how you two have grown in both weaponry and magical abilities," King Michael said suddenly. Taehyung tossed his staff aside while Shay let the dagger in her hand disappear. "Now, my children... Give your father a show."
Taehyung and Shay stared at each other and it was obvious that both of them had a strong feeling of dread within. Still, the princess grit her teeth, the grip on her dagger tightening. For so long, she wanted to finally prove herself to their father, that she too could be strong and had the ability to best her brother in battle.
This is my chance. Shay smirked and materialized another dagger in her free hand. Taehyung, who had been trying to catch her attention with a few gestures, fell into silence.
Shay released a loud battlecry and charged forward at a still very confused Taehyung. She pounced at her brother with her two daggers but was stopped by a purple forcefield that formed in front of his figure. This caused the princess to bounce backwards. She rolled on the floor and landed on one knee, both blades cutting through the mating.
Taehyung stared back at Shay with no particular expression on his face. His hand was raised, purple mist coating it, the snake head of his staff staring back at her with dead dark eyes.
"Brother," Shay snarled and stood up. There was a light bruise on her jaw. "Do you underestimate me?"
Taehyung exhaled through his nose. He spun the staff in his hands and stepped backwards once and went into an offensive stance. Although, an expression of both annoyance and remorse were on his face. "No, sister. I do not underestimate you."
"Then fight me! Fight me like your life is on the line!," Shay screamed and tossed both of her daggers at Taehyung. The prince was able to hit one of the knives with his staff but the other stabbed him in the shoulder.
Taehyung swallowed before he could release a yelp. He pulled out the dagger from his shoulder and glanced at the blotch of blood on his training suit before he threw the knife out of reach.
"Si—," Taehyung was cut off by Shay, who used magic to teleport right in front of him. The purple mist barely faded away before the princess threw a punch that struck him right at the jaw.
Taehyung tumbled backwards with a spinning head and heard the audience gasp. Shay smirked at this — Not so invincible, huh brother? She followed up the attack by performing roundhouse kick, which once again hit her brother in the face. She landed on top of him and used her legs to pin him to the ground.
Shay smiled to herself and faced King Michael, expecting some sort of praise or recognition for her actions, but instead she saw her father staring at the scene in boredom, that stern expression still on his face. The princess' eye twitched as she turned back to Taehyung, who was wounded and bleeding.
A scream left Shay's lips, one that expressed both fury and anguish. She materialized a purple energy ball in between her palms, the mist swirling as she slammed it to the ground and at Taehyung's stunned body.
Shay took deep breaths. She released a loud grunt of anger when she realized that Taehyung was not on the ground and that she had struck the matting instead. Behind her, the Lost Prince reappeared with purple mist fading around. He was clutching a bleeding arm.
"Shay, please," Taehyung whispered and took deep breaths before he rolled his shoulders. He clutched his staff tightly. "It doesn't have to be like thi—"
"Shut up!," Shay screeched and raised her hand, staff shooting through the air and landing right in her palm. She blasted a purple laser beam at Taehyung, who countered the attack with his beam.
The royal siblings' laser beams created a brightness that made the whole audience shut their eyes for a few seconds. Shay continued to clench her now aching jaw and was irritated at how their beams had equal power. Still, this meant something. Even after so long in battle with Taehyung, she was still standing, she hasn't lost. Ha! She has finally bested her brother in—
"Is this all you have learned after you left?," King Michael suddenly spoke, his voice instantly the tension in the air thicken. "Does not seem like it."
Taehyung visibility stiffened at their father's words and Shay could see it, even through the double purple beams right in front of her. This made shivers send down her spine because it reminded her so much of the past, of the memories she wished she could just forget entirely.
"I have a lot riding on you, boy," King Michael as he walked towards Taehyung, the prince's beam unconsciously weakening. Shay kept her pace and froze at their father's glare. "Now, it would be a real shame if this is what you have to show for it, no?"
Taehyung swallowed dryly and glared at King Michael, although it was obvious that the prince felt very uncomfortable. Shay stared, the emotions within her mixing and becoming something complicated. Was she amused? Nervous? Afraid? Whatever it was, she didn't let it affect her laser beam.
"It's adorable, really. You hit just as hard as your sister," King Michael whispered to Taehying, his voice barely audible. This time, he made sure to make eye contact with Shay, who couldn't stop herself from flinching. "I'd be amused if this wasn't unbecoming any heir of mine."
At that moment, it seemed like time started to slow down. Taehyung shut his eye, breaths becoming quicker and more disoriented. The purple color of his laser beam flickered into a black shade and Shay stared with a raised eyebrow. And then, there was a dark mist that swirled around her brother's feet. King Michael stepped away with a smile.
Shay was stunned when both laser beams suddenly went out, followed by the weapon slipping out of her hand. The staff zipped across the air and landed right into Taehyung's hand. Everyone watched in silence.
Taehyung was smirking, the black mist still swirling around him. His eye was hooded, its purple shade replaced by a pitch black color. He chuckled deeply, the grip on both staffs in his hands tight. His pointed teeth poked his bottom lip, the skin of his hands turning purple. Shay was silent since she knew exactly what she was looking at.
And even though Shay has witnessed the darkness gem corrupt Taehyung a lot, this time she felt extremely uneasy.
"You want to see a worthy heir, Father?," Taehyung chuckled once more, a mischievous smile slowly spreading across his face. King Michael nodded. "Fine. I'll show you a worthy heir."
Taehyung slammed the two staffs against each other and created a strong force that knocked Shay, along with some of the bystanders, off their feet. The princess grunted loudly as she landed ass first, the pain shooting from her tailbone up to her spine like a bolt of electricity.
Shay wasn't even given time to react because in a split second, Taehyung had teleported on top of her. She froze at the expression on her brother's face and at how his dark eye was wild and crazy. Pure bloodlust was painted all over his big toothy grin.
Taehyung slammed both of the staffs towards Shay, who crossed her arms over her head to shield herself. The princess kicked him in the gut, making the prince yell and release his grip. Jumping, she twisted her legs around her brother's neck and slammed him to the ground. She snatched her staff from the floor and pointed it forward.
Just when Shay was about to scream an enchantment, she felt a tight grip around her throat. She was slowly lifted up in the air by black mist that wrapped around her body. Taehyung stood in her front of her with a smirk, purple hand raised and claws elongated.
"B-Brother," Shay wheezed and clawed at her throat. Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.
Taehyung stared back at Shay blankly, the black ink of his irises spreading to his pupils. His hand trembled as the mist around it thickened. The smirk on his face grew, as if he was proud of what he was doing.
From the side, Animo conversed with King Michael, who was stroking his beard in amusement. She couldn't tell if her teammate was worried for her well being or not. Still, his expression told her that he was screaming.
"Taehyung," Shay started to choke, black dots appearing in her vision. "Please."
Taehyung's smirk faded as he blinked rapidly. In that very moment, he snapped out of his trance and widened his eyes at the sight of Shay levitated before him. He released her instantly as he slowly regained himself.
Shay coughed and wheezed for air, her body curling on the matted floor. Belladonna, Medusa and Animo immediately went up to her, all worried and bombarding her with questions that all boiled down to one thing — Are you okay?
If Shay didn't almost die, she would have answered back with something snarky or sarcastic. She held her throbbing neck and glanced at Taehyung, who had collapsed to the floor in front of her. His eye was wide and glassy as he stared at his trembling hands.
"Indeed, my son," King Michael stepped towards Taehyung and stood behind him, his shadow looming over the prince. He smiled. "You have proved your worth as the heir to my throne."
Taehyung didn't reply. His hands still trembled as he glanced at Shay and opened his mouth to speak but his voice failed him so instead, he said nothing. The princess stared back silently and still struggled to breath.
"And Shay," King Michael faced Shay with furrowed eyebrows and a stern expression. "You do know the consequence of your loss, yes?"
Shay's lips trembled. She heard herself scream at the back of her mind as she recalled the various punishments she had received for losing against Taehyung. But she didn't cry, she didn't whimper. Instead, the princess looked up with burning eyes.
"Yes I do... Father."
-
Hoseok sighed in relief. He was glad that LOONA and his team had managed to wipe out the Helian soldiers' base without any of them alerting the King. The air gem bearer had a vivid image of the whole Helian population appearing in the forest to attack them and getting stabbed in the heart by a soldier. Thankfully, just this once, he was wrong.
It was sudden but as Hoseok and the team made their way to the River of Redemption, he suddenly thought of Jia. He wondered how his girlfriend was doing back in Egypt and it amazed how a country miles away from his home in Gwangju was now millions of lightyears away from where he was standing.
Hoseok thought of Jia experimenting on different hairstyles, which she would do out of boredom, and smiled. He remembered the time when she was away for a week for work and his lovely girlfriend had sent long blogs to update him. His heart hurt because of how much he missed her and how long they've been apart.
Wait. Hoseok paused his thoughts. He recalled Taehyung's words about the difference between his age on Vrede and on Earth. Forty years old on Earth and twenty on Vrede means—
"Oh my God," Hoseok whispered to himself after he had finished estimating how long he had been on Vrede. He ran his hands down his face in despair. "Jia is literally going to age twice as fast. She'll be old when I get back."
Hoseok sunk back into his own thoughts once again. He pondered for a bit and thought about a more matured and sophisticated version of Jia. He smiled — Huh, I'd still that tap that though.
"You are literally disgusting," Jungkook commented suddenly. Hoseok turned to his side and saw the wingless angel next to him, both hands shoved in the pockets of his leather jeans.
"What?," Hoseok chuckled and played with the strap of his goggles. "She's my girlfriend. I'd tap her regardless."
Jungkook rolled his eyes. Hoseok noticed that one of the LOONA girls was giving him a disgusted look from up ahead. What was her name again? Since they all had dark hair and pale skin, he found it difficult to tell them apart. Still, if looks could kill, he would most likely be dead.
"Sky, where exactly is the river?," Namjoon asked from the front. Hoseok could tell it was him because he was towering over everyone else. Yoongi snarled.
"An underground river," Jin mused and everyone turned towards him. He shrugged, his broad shoulders rising and falling. "I felt it."
"Jin is right," You tapped your chin and fished something out of your pocket. As you spread out the small piece of paper, Hoseok saw a rough sketch of Hel's map. "It's kind of like a sewage? But it's not at the same time. It's a river that connects to all the major landmarks of Hel, including the royal palace."
"It wasn't a river from the beginning," Olivia spoke. She was wearing her wolf mask now so her purple eyes stood out around the red cloth. She glanced at you. "They were catacombs used for illegal trade. It used to be a black market for all kinds of things that came from both inside and outside of Hel."
"It's where we got our materials for weapons!," Yves, the mechanic and also the girl who wore a swan mask, cheered loudly. She knocked on one of her arm braces with a proud smile. Chuu had an arm around her waist. "Vlam has the best stuff."
Yoongi smiled to himself. Holly hummed on the fire gem bearer's shoulders as he pet it's head gently. "So how did all that water get in there?"
"King Michael decided to flood the catacombs so that the illegal markets would leave," Jinsoul replied. Hoseok noticed that she angriest whenever the royal family was mentioned. "Thing is, he got rid of the cultural markets of Hel too."
"So now it's just a body of stagnant water," Chuu spoke sadly. "It's called River of Redemption because prayer groups come there to pray to Macht for the war in Vrede to end."
Hoseok felt his chest tighten at that. He knew what it was like to live in a country constantly threatened by a war but he still felt bad for all these civilians, all these people who did not all deserve to be have their lives hanging on a thread. There were many types of people in war and he could tell that LOONA were the fighters. They didn't want to let this go on any longer.
"We traveled there by boats. They're still down there... I hope," Gowon spoke and broke the heavy silence in the air. She stopped in front of a thick tree that bore yellow apples.
Hoseok levitated in the air to collect the fruits from the tree and passed them around. Since nobody shouted at him that it was poisonous, he took a big bite out of the yellow apple and hummed at the juiciness.
Yves climbed on Chuu's shoulders and pulled one of the tree's branches. There was a loud click as a patch of land next to tree began to move, the sudden vibration causing the two girls to fall on top of each other. They just giggled at themselves. Choerry rolled her eyes and helped them up.
Hoseok peered down at the entrance that opened next to the apple tree. Still chewing, he put on his goggles to zoom in and brighten the resolution. He saw a metal ladder leading down to the darkness and saw a huge rat pass by, which nearly made him scream. He could see faint light come from the walls and assumed they were torches.
"The River of Redemption," Jin whispered. His eyes were glowing blue. Hoseok heard the river below react to his words, its waves slamming against the concrete ground.
Everyone was stunned when you suddenly jumped inside, the appearance of your shadow making Hoseok flinch out of shock. What scared him more was that it took two seconds until you landed with a tap.
"Coast is clear!," You shouted, voice bouncing off the walls.
"Idiot," Yoongi whispered with a light laugh and a smirk. Hoseok briefly glanced at the fire gem bearer before he jumped into the hole as well with Holly flying closely behind him. He landed next to you and lit a fireball over his palm for additional lighting.
The rest of them entered the tunnel normally and Hoseok considered himself floating down to be very normal. The air gem bearer slipped off his goggles to get a better look at the place. He confirmed that there really were torches nailed to the wall, the flames giving slight illumination. The brick walls were caked with moss and mushrooms. Seawater scent was in the air as the water became stagnant.
Well, only for a while. The moment Jin stepped closer to the edge of the concrete, the water came rushing to him like magnets.
"Stay away from the edge," Olivia suddenly said from somewhere out of Hoseok's view. "You never know what might jump out at you from the water."
Everyone pressed their backs to wall. Olivia appeared within the layer of sea mist as she stood inside a large lightweight rock boat that resembled a cross between a Vlamian and Helian fighting ship. The wolf-masked Helian stood tall and proud, hands on her waist as the rest of the LOONA girls sat behind her with judging eyes. On its body was the their logo, which was the letters of LOONA in black ink but the A was a triangle instead. Hoseok spotted the second boat, which was tied to the first.
"Get in," Choerry said after realizing that Olivia wasn't going to say anything at the moment. She rolled her eyes before speaking again. "Your boat is tied to ours so you idiots won't wander off."
Nobody said anything about Choerry calling them idiots but Hoseok could tell that Yoongi was pissed since both he and Holly were snarling. The air gem bearer hopped into the boat first to inspect it. He stomped his feet on the rock and sighed in relief at its stability.
"Whoa!," Jimin suddenly exclaimed from behind. His apple fell to the floor as he stepped into the boat and wobbled. Before he could fall flat on his ass, however, Namjoon caught him from behind by wrapping his arms around his waist.
The two stared at each other in a dead silence and Hoseok could feel the intense gay energy surrounding them, which made him palm his face. Jimin immediately balanced himself whilst Namjoon released his grip.
"Be careful," Namjoon whispered as he took Jimin's half-eaten apple from the ground and passed it to him.
"I will, thanks," Jimin replied a bit too quickly and took a huge bite out of his apple. He collapsed into a seated position next to Emily, who was staring back at him with squinted eyes.
As Namjoon sat next to you, the boats started and Hoseok felt the waves splash against the boat's rock body. The air gem bearer sighed for the nth time today. He still vividly remembered that night on the deck when Jimin and Namjoon leaned into each other for a kiss. Truthfully, the sight itself wasn't much of a shock to him. His gut told him that it was alright.
What stunned Hoseok more than the fact that the two didn't kiss was that Jimin had ran away to leave an obviously broken-hearted Namjoon alone with him on the deck. That night, after his purple-haired friend resided back in his bedroom, the air gem bearer spent hours thinking about those two.
Hoseok knew how complicated love was. A lot of people, including himself way back before he met Jia, had difficulty in telling the difference between romantic and platonic love. Namjoon and Jimin were a perfect example of this.
Namjoon had concluded that he was in love with Jimin since he had told Hoseok himself. The problem was nobody knew what Jimin felt, especially because he had this arrangement with Kaeva back in Bliksem. Lucht's King couldn't believe that there so many factors in making their relationship more complicated.
"It is a bit complicated, yeah?," Jungkook suddenly spoke from next to Hoseok. The angel had his forearms placed on his knees, giving the air gem bearer a side view of his exposed wing-tattooed back.
"A bit is an understatement," Hoseok replied. He saw Namjoon staring at Jimin, who was staring at the water, from his seat. "It's very complicated. But I'm sure they'll figure things out."
Jungkook smiled at this. Hoseok looked around and stared at the identical torches on the walls for a moment. A thought entered his mind after Olivia steered the boat to the right side of an intersection.
"So what's the plan?," Hoseok turned around to face the rest of his team. He glanced at Jin, who was playing with a water ball he took from the river. "We arrive under the palace... and then what?"
"Tomorrow, there will be a royal ball in the palace," Vivi spoke for the first time since they left LOONA's headquarters. "It is to celebrate the return of one of your own."
"Taehyung," You whispered to yourself, the grip on your katana's handle tightening.
"A royal ball... Are they going to officially coronate him?," Jungkook's eyes widened.
"I thought he was already a prince?," Emily asked with a raised eyebrow. She was standing at the edge of the boat with her trusty bow and arrow in her hands. Obviously, she was on edge.
"In Vredeian culture, princes and princesses of the royal family are officially crowned when they turn eighteen," Jungkook explained with a strong Vredeian accent. He rolled his shoulders and Hoseok almost expected to see his wings flap behind him. "Taehyung... he's been gone for a long time. Now his father will officially make him Hel's Crowned Prince."
"And heir to the throne," Namjoon whispered, his words sounding heavy. "Right?"
There was a brief moment of tense silence.
"We'll camp out and plan here so we can come up with a full-proof plan," Olivia spoke. She was sitting cross-legged in front of all the girls and was facing Hoseok and their team.
Something bubbled at the pit of Hoseok's stomach. Was it fear, anxiety or excitement? He had no idea what but he could basically feel that right now, they were in the calm before the storm.
"Haseul, Hyunjin, Yeojin and Heejin are all in the palace dungeon," Yves stood up after she finally convinced Chuu to stop hugging her. She took out a map from her satchel and spread it open for everyone on Hoseok's boat to see. "It's at the underground floor so getting in there will be piece of cake."
"The problem is that they doubled security after we breeched the palace before. Sorry," Chuu slowly slid her hands around Yves' waist. This time, she didn't protest.
"Which is when you idiots come in," Choerry's tone was still as sharp as the bat fangs on her mask. "You guys have to sneak into the ball and open their cells from the inside."
"Sneaking into another fancy party?," Jin smirked. He shot the water ball across the area like a basketball. Hoseok watched it fall into the river with a loud plop. "Count me in."
Hoseok wasn't sure if he was looking forward to it or not. Whatever the case, he still felt like something bad was coming.
He just hoped for the best.
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A/N - AAAAAAAAA it took me so long to update I'm so sorry huhu ;; anyways to clarify Chuu x Yves ship here is strong! Which means they are confident girlfriends lol Happy Pride Month babes
Yeah so I gave a sneak peek of what happens when Tae lets the corruption consume him and I can say that it is both hot and terrifying at the same time hoho
So much has happened in the past week!! I got a new doggo, T7W hit 1M reads and now there are ads popping up in my story?? Where my revenue at @ Wattpad loljk
My doggo lol
Please anticipate the next chap because it is #aesthetic and there may be a reunion in the ball ohoho guess who tho 👀 #ship
Lastly I feel really bad for Shay she can't even catch a break even in her own house
My goal was to make everyone hate King Michael did it work
ANYWAYS again please anticipate the next chap!! Thank you so much for continuously supporting me and T7W!! I love y'all lots uwu