Story time: there are leeches in the garden and one of them just drank my blood till it fell off-
goddamn creatures.
Anyway
Enjoy!
_____
The next day, Jimin woke up to the sound of an absurdly loud ringing of bells. He groaned, as did many of the others in his dormitory, and rolled over, trying to desperately not hear the ringing bells. But of course his efforts were in vain, the sound penetrated simply everywhere. Throwing back his covers, he squinted against the sunlight streaming into the dormitory through the one odd window. He was almost loathe to get down from his warm bed, but life was never fair. He had all but barely put on his annoying headgear to complete his uniform when the door to the dormitory slammed open, making everyone jump a foot in the air.
In came a burly man, clad in white robes and a sword by his side and a golden badge displayed on his armor. "Hurry up you lazy asses, do you realize that you are-" he checked his wrist. "Almost five minutes late? Do you know what can happen in five minutes? Do you? A prisoner could have escaped, all because you sleeping beauties couldn't get your asses up early enough!"
Jimin wanted to yell back at this man because goddamn what was he so cranky about so early in the goddamn morning?
All the guards lined up before the man, and Jimin followed their example. The senior squinted at them all, hands behind his back and shoulders drawn impossibly high. "You!" he barked at Jimin who flinched. "I haven't seen you before"
Jimin gulped. His fists clenched. "I-I got transferred here recently..." at least his voice didn't sound as nervous as he felt.
"I haven't had any information on new recruits" the senior sauntered up to him, his aura intimidating. "Tell me, newbie, what's your name?"
Jimin blinked, hands clammy. "T-Taehyung"
The senior leaned impossibly closer, as if looking right through his façade. Subconsciously, Jimin bent backwards, away from the inquisitive man.
A beat of silence.
The senior leaned back and barely sparing another glance at him walked away to face the rest of the troops, but his next words were aimed at him. "You're on court duty, newbie" he walked up to the door. "The rest of you, back to your usual posts!"
Jimin stood there, still frozen from the fear of being caught out, until someone nudged him. "Get to work, newbie" the boy beside him had an amused twinkle in his eyes. He didn't look like he was old enough to be a prison guard. "The man's a dunderhead, don't mind him" he held out his hand. "I'm Ryuu, by the way"
Jimin shook his hand, a smile blossoming on his face. "Jimin. I'm new here"
"Yeah" Ryuu laughed. "Kind of got that already. Anyway, I'm on court duty too so...I can help you around?" At this, Jimin heaved a sigh of relief. He'd been on the verge of panicking about what he had to do. Ryuu waited till Jimin picked up his spear (he still wasn't very familiar with the weapon) and guided Jimin out of the dormitory and down the hallways.
"You know, usually Alden knows about new recruits" Ryuu's tone was mildly curious and Jimin steeled himself before he had to spout lies. He hated having to lie to anyone, especially just as he was making friends with whoever he was lying to.
"Alden?" Jimin repeated, trying to stall the blatant lying. "Is that his name?"
"The senior who ruins every morning? Yeah. He's nice in that way" They turned around to the corner and Jimin's eye caught on a subtle and intricate golden design along the foot of the wall.
"I noticed" Jimin huffed a laugh. "A pleasant guy"
Ryuu hummed and to Jimin's dismay, he started off on the before topic. "He-he usually knows if new people are coming...just so you know"
It took quite an effort for Jimin to keep his voice even when he said, "I'm sure my reference letter just went unnoticed. He'll find it" He didn't know what drove him to say it, probably his instinct to stay unnoticed. For all he knows, maybe there weren't any reference letters going around here. It was a whole another world. Anything was a possibility.
He hated himself for being right.
"You know I can tell you've never been a guard before, right?" Ryuu sounded like he was holding back a laugh at Jimin's expense. The human scowled. "If you're worried I'll snitch you out to Alden, don't be" a strange kind of emotion entered his voice when he spoke again. "'sides, you're not the only one here to do something other than babysit prisoners"
Jimin's head snapped to look at Ryuu, who resolutely kept looking in front of him, footsteps a tad bit faster.
"You here to...break someone out?" Jimin asked carefully, voice void of curiosity. He didn't want Ryuu to think he was prying.
"No not really"
Jimin waited. They finally arrived at their destination: the courtyard loomed in front of them, looking like a vast desert with nothing but a tall tower in the midst of it, looking oddly out of place. It must be the rumored tower where the most dangerous criminals were held hostage.
Jimin turned his head away from the building to look at Ryuu, waiting for an answer. He couldn't risk it. Ryuu knew about his fraud identity Jimin just had to know something about Ryuu himself to even it out. He couldn't risk being snitched out now.
They sun shone down almost blindingly on them as Ryuu opened his mouth to reply, his entire body tense.
"I'm here to talk to my father"
**
"Your father?"
Ryuu, who had explained himself as a witch, nodded, his caramel brown hair falling over his left eye as he did so. He seemed like a teenager, most probably younger than Jimin himself. He and Jimin had taken off their headgears, opting to sit down on the courtyard, away from anyone's plain sight to have a proper talk.
"He's a criminal" he replied, eyes on the ground. "A dangerous one"
Jimin frowned. "But then...why?"
The teenager laughed an exhausted thing that made Jimin yearn to hug him provide some comfort to him. "I know it's crazy. But he- my father...he loved us all so much. We never even suspected a thing till some people of the council showed up at our house, demanding him to surrender" his smile was sad. "We never knew he was mutilating people in town"
Jimin didn't honestly know what to say, but he was pretty sure his wide eyes was a response Ryuu was used to, for he chuckled a bit. "I'm sorry" Jimin muttered.
Ryuu didn't reply for a moment or two.
"He must've had a reason" the boy mumbled suddenly, breaking the silence. "He was one of the best people I knew- He-He must have had a reason for it"
"You want to ask him why" it wasn't a question, it was a statement. Ryuu nodded. "Do you know where he is?"
Ryuu gestured at the tower. The one that even Jimin so badly wanted to infiltrate. "I've been asking around for the past few weeks. Apparently he's in there"
Jimin pursed his lips, thoughtfully. "Why did you tell me all this?"
"Because" There was a glint in Ryuu's eyes that had Jimin bracing himself, wandering if Ryuu was all that he seemed to be. "I've been watching you. And from what I gather, you have a friend inside there who you want to talk to"
Jimin gulped. This kid was cunning.
"And what about it?" he asked, voice void of any emotion.
"Don't act like you don't know" Ryuu scoffed. "I can give you information about that tower you wouldn't be able to gather in a few days. In exchange, I need you to take me in too"
"You led me on to believe you were being nice, didn't you?" And he got caught so neatly into the trap. Ryuu would just need to exclaim about his fraud identity and Jimin would be done for. Ryuu, on the other hand, could lie about his situation. Jimin's hold on him wasn't strong enough. Not when the boy could lie his way out of it.
"One thing about me is" Ryuu had a determined look etched on his face. "If it's a way forward, you best believe I'm going to take that opportunity"
In a split moment, Jimin knew what he was going to do.
**
Yoongi and Ryuu did not get on well with each other.
It was lunch break now, and Jimin had sprung Ryuu on to Yoongi and Hoseok, claiming that he was an informant. The two men had shared an uncertain look before nodding and grabbing themselves trays of food before sitting at a table.
"Explain" Yoongi had ordered.
So Jimin had obliged. Only for Yoongi to shoot daggers with his eyes at the seemingly uncaring kid eating opposite to him.
"You want us to help you" he monotonously said, eyes on the boy.
Ryuu looked up with a smirk. "Do you need hearing aids old man? You've been asking me that for the past five minutes"
Yoongi, much to Jimin's relief, ignored the jab. "You want us to risk our quest to help you" he deadpanned. Jimin frowned.
"It's not necessarily risking" Jimin protested.
"But it is" Yoongi's hard gazed landed on Jimin. "The more people, the more risky. The more quests, the more complicated. Also, there are guards even inside the tower, I presume. Are we going to multiply the number of guards we leave unconscious as well? That would leave more evidences"
Hoseok hummed in agreement.
Ryuu shrugged. "Have it your way and scrounge around for information then" with that, he picked up his tray and began walking away.
Jimin caught him by his wrist. "Wait"
Yoongi scowled and Jimin aimed a look at him. "We can't hang around forever, Yoongi. The quicker the better. And I'm pretty sure one of the seniors here have their eyes on me"
The Reaper didn't acknowledge that. Instead he focused on his food, only his tense shoulder giving away how much he resented the idea. But at least he didn't protest. Jimin made Ryuu sit back down, resenting the smug smirk the kid gave.
Hoseok sighed. "Right, kid" his eyes were utterly serious. "Tell us what you know"
**
He told them that the Prison on the Paradox was in the forest Idina, a much less harsher place than the Nyx of course, but still deadly, and that it was covered with a wall that ran almost sky-high. He told them that prisoners bought in are made to look at it from the ground to ensure that they feel hopeless and bound to the prison forever. And apparently, there was only one gate leading out of the prison. It was heavily guarded at all times. The prison wall that encased it assumed the general shape of a circle, and while the gate was at one side, right opposite to it was the Warden's mansion, surrounded by more higher-up soldier's quarters. The mess hall, where all serious decisions took place, was also right next to the Warden's mansion. The prison spread around the rest of the perimeter, spacious and yet very caged. Sometimes, the cells of prisoners were arranged so that they had no company next to them. Something done to avoid them hitching schemes up their shoulders.
The most important place for this whole quest was the Warden's mansion.
The Warden was the only one who could open the chamber that revealed the portal that takes a person straight to the tower, which was right in middle of the prison. There was no other way to enter the tower except for that portal. The tower itself was capsuled in an invisible magical barrier that kept everyone out.
The catch was that no one but the Warden could open the door to the chamber. There was a magical scanner that read your aura. And apparently, everyone had a significant aura to themselves. This was the part that had Ryuu desperate enough to prey on someone who seemed to have the same goal as him: entering the tower.
Now, they were all huddled on the courtyard, praying that no one would come by till they finished their strategic meeting.
"What we need" Hoseok thoughtfully started. "Is a way to manipulate the man"
"Easier said than done" Ryuu scoffed. "He's not going to fall for stupid tricks"
"That is true" Jimin's eyes widened a fraction as Yoongi for once agreed with the witch kid. Even Ryuu seemed taken aback. "However, no one said anything about tricking him, now did they?" his lips curled into a smirk. "We are going to make him bend down to us"
**
Yoongi had told Jimin to keep the bracelet, which he'd given, turned on at all times. Jimin had said it himself, Alden had his eyes on Jimin. Anything could happen. Although, for some miraculous reason, Yoongi and Hoseok were still hidden from their seniors. Jimin was yet to know whether they had done some magical thing and had tampered with their seniors memories.
Jimin was peacefully chatting with Hyuna, who had, much to her dismay, been put on court duty. She'd grumbled to Jimin for the entirety of half an hour, claiming that she was too old for these boring jobs. And she was right, apart from when the prisoners were treated to a break at the yard, there was nothing going on here.
"Why'd you become a guard?" Jimin asked, genuinely curious. "I mean, I'm not talking about the fact that you're a girl and all...just, in general, you know?"
"A girl can be whatever she wants to be" Hyuna huffed. "Although I did hope this would be more fun than this" her hands crossed over her chest. Jimin laughed.
"If I'm being honest though..." she looked away, as if embarrassed. "Hyojong had always wanted to be here. And I...didn't want to stay away from him" Jimin found himself internally cooing at that.
"But didn't you have your own dreams?"
"The best part is, we both had the same dreams" Hyuna smiled. "So here we are. It's one way we can help keep our world safe"
They slipped on to lighter conversations after that, playfully bickering and laughing.
It came to Jimin as a shock when a guard he didn't quite know, tapped him on his shoulder and monotonously muttered, "The Warden wants to see you"
"Me?" he squeaked, eyes widening. "W- why me?"
The guard shrugged. From his peripheral sight, Jimin could see Hyuna's eyes narrow in suspicion.
"Right okay" Jimin stood up, brushing himself off nervously and putting on his headgear. The guard walked away, having done with his job. Jimin pursed his lips in dismal.
"What's the problem, newbie?" Hyuna asked.
"I don't..." Jimin coughed into his palm. "I don't really know where the Warden's office is?"
Hyuna nodded, as if this made perfect sense. Jimin internally cheered. At least that wasn't a bad move on his part for once. "I could take you there" Hyuna offered, standing up as well. Jimin muttered a grateful thank you before following her back into the confusing mess of hallways.
"It beats me why he wants to see you though" Hyuna commented. "He wouldn't, unless it's very serious. He has better things to handle"
That was a humongous red flag waving right in front of his face.
Shit. Alden must've told something about him then.
Heart racing, he lifted up his wrist to his mouth in a slow gesture, something that wouldn't have Hyuna looking over at him, and whispered a, "Yoongi. I think the Warden knows. He's called me"
Yoongi's reply was instantaneous.
"Shoot, okay. I will get Hoseok and Ryuu over as fast as I can. Try to stall as much as possible. And stay safe. Please"
His mind was too clouded in fear for him to be pleased at Yoongi's obvious concern for him. He mindlessly followed Hyuna through the hallways into an exterior covered in all kinds of shrubbery with only one visible path leading forward. They walked on and on, until Jimin came to face a sudden cluster of buildings, all whitewashed. And right in the center, Jimin presumed, was the Warden's mansion.
Hyuna proved him right when she intoned, "That fancy building in the middle is the Warden's mansion. His office and everything he needs are there"
"A lazy person, isn't he?" Jimin sarcastically muttered and Hyuna laughed, having caught that. She led him right up to the mansion, where two guard where standing.
"The Warden asked for me" Jimin informed, just barely concealing his fear. The guards nodded, gesturing him to go inside. Jimin smiled at Hyuna who waved. "Come out alive"
Jimin mustered up a wrecked laugh at that.
The interior of the mansion was lavishly decorated. Soft carpeted floors, paintings and even a chandelier beautified the place. Jimin bit his lip. Where was he even supposed to go? They had told him the Warden's office was inside, but...where?
A lady walked up to him, dressed in white robes cinched at the waist, showing off her figure, her face a perfect poker face. "The Warden will see you now" With that, she turned away as if expecting Jimin to follow, and walked up a flight of stairs. Jimin trudged after her, hands clammy. The walk was short. The lady knocked on a white door decorated with intricate patterns and a golden knob.
"Come in"
At least the Warden's voice didn't sound unreasonably scary, Jimin said to himself, trying to calm his nerves. And really, why was Jimin getting so riled up? It's not like the Warden would be someone like Ajax.
He desperately hoped he was right.
The lady pushed open the door, gesturing Jimin inside. Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Jimin walked in, noticing how sparsely the office was decorated, despite being a part of the Warden's house.
The Warden, at first glance, seemed like a college professor.
He had black hair, neatly gelled back and wore glasses. His face was a mask of pleasantness. As it was, he smiled at Jimin. "I hear you are a new recruit?"
But now, seeing the deadly look in his eyes, Jimin wondered if the whole persona was a façade.
He nodded in response to the question, hands behind his back.
The Warden hummed, standing up. There was a moment filled with silence as he sized Jimin up under his gaze. "I wonder where you got transferred from" he mused, taking slow steps towards Jimin. His posture was radiating a certain deadly confidence that had Jimin slightly trembling. He was so certain that the man knows he's a fraud.
Jimin did not meet the man's inquisitive gaze.
"You just suddenly appeared out of nowhere" The Warden continued, voice a chilling murmur and yet it sounded so loud in the darkened room. He was now standing right in front of Jimin. "And started befriending guards and accepting duties like it was a normal thing"
Jimin gulped discretely. Shit, He hoped Hyuna, Hyojong and Lucas weren't going to get punished because of him.
"And" The man's hot breath fanned across Jimin's face as he breathed out the word. "You have no file in our records"
Jimin had no idea of how he should reply. He was pretty much caught red-handed. There was no way he could lie himself out of this situation.
The only way out of this was Yoongi.
Yoongi! He chanted in his head. Hurry the fuck up!
The Warden peered into eyes as if seeking an answer from the very depths of him. Giving into his instinct to deny and save his life, Jimin opened his mouth to weakly protest. In a flash, the Warden's amusement was replaced by a stone cold expression "Don't even try to deny the fact that you're an imposter" he hissed and Jimin's eyes widened, frightened. A second later, the Warden was back to being amused at Jimin's evident fear etched so clearly on his face.
The Warden was giving Jimin a severe whiplash.
"Now, before obviously hauling you off for punishment" The man walked away, finally giving Jimin some room to breathe. Where are you Yoongi? What's taking you so long? "I think it's proper to interrogate your motives to break in, along with who gave you orders" He sat down again, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. His cocky attitude made Jimin want to slap him, though he was currently almost shivering violently in fear. "If you can be a good boy-" at this, his gaze raked over Jimin's body in an obvious way that had Jimin disgusted. "We just might find an arrangement that could make the both of us satisfied"
Of all the fucking nerve, Jimin thought angrily. How the fuck is he commandeering a whole ass prison with that mindset.
He didn't reply and instead opted to gaze at the Warden in obvious skepticism. Outside the door, he could suddenly hear voices talking and he prayed that it was Yoongi.
"Are you choosing to be punished?" The Warden's voice was a smooth murmur that had Jimin wanting to puke. "Such a pity, you know. We could've had so much fun" His lips curled in a smirk as if he thought Jimin would take the bait.
Not a fucking chance.
Jimin stood silently.
One of the Warden's eyes twitched: the only sign that said he had lost some of his cool.
"I can have you peeled from you skin" He continued, hands hitting the table with a loud smack. "I can have you tortured until you agree with me, if I want to"
No response.
Where are you Yoongi!
The Warden shoved a pile of papers on to the ground, giving a roar of frustration. "Fine! Have it your way then! I'll have you killed in the worst possible way-"
The door burst open.
Jimin's eyes caught Yoongi bounding in, his expression that of pure anger that left Jimin confused. He rushed straight at the Warden, as if wanting to strangle him to death, until Hosoek caught his wrist and held him back. Yoongi was unconsciously growling as he turned to face Hoseok. Hoseok shook his head.
The Warden looked bemused.
"Who are you scum?" he snapped, as if coming back to reality. "Do you not know you should respect me-"
"I will respect you when hell freezes over" Yoongi hissed.
"Excuse me?" The Warden seemed affronted. "Do you not realize who I am? Do you not know what I can do-"
"Yeah yeah, whatever, old man" Ryuu commented, rolling his eyes. Jimin hadn't even seen the kid walking in. "We don't care"
"Where are my guards?" he opened his mouth crossly. "GUARDS ̶" his yell was cut off when Yoongi dashed forward, placing his palm harshly over the man's lips.
"Yoongi" Hoseok called, not giving a single shit about the Warden writhing in Yoongi's hold. "Just do it already"
Jimin bit his lip.
Yoongi nodded, though his eyes were still screaming murder at the Warden, and closed his eyes in deep concentration. A bead of sweat rolled down his face, as the seconds drew by. Jimin idly noticed how pale his skin was.
Then, Yoongi faded off into the thin air.
The Warden stopped writhing and instead stood up straight, brushing himself off like nothing had happened.
"Right" he said briskly. "Let us get this over with. I hate possessing someone as disgusting as him"
Jimin gave a startled laugh while Ryuu whistled, impressed. "Damn, you're kind of cool. Imagine being able to casually possess someone like that" the witch shook his head in wonder. "Amazing"
Yoongi, now in the Warden's body, aimed a smug look at the witch. "I know"
With that, he walked out of the room, just as confident as the Warden had been.
Ryuu followed after him. And after sharing a look, Jimin and Hoseok did the same.
_____
Lmao Yoongs was pissed and jealous (favorite kinda Yoongs when it comes to Yoonmin)
Stay safe!
XOXO