After a deep breath, he replied, "Okay, I will."
The smile on Jungkook's face could rival Hoseok's in his best days, and that was to say because Hoseok was a little piece of the walking sun.
"But I warn you, if you ever let go of my hand, I'll kill you." Yoongi threatened him, pointing a finger at him.
"You know I would never do that, Hyung," Jungkook told him as he got up and pulled him like a child would do when he wants to teach his discoveries to his parents.
After Hana and Jungkook explained what he would find once he got inside, Yoongi felt he was ready to try it. Jungkook was the first to sit on the edge of the pond, Yoongi following his lead and sitting next to him and shaking his hand. Around him the light had changed to a more orange hue, and Yoongi wondered for a moment what time it was. What used to be insects hovering around the place were now fairies, just as they were described in the books. He couldn't see his features, but he saw his human form every time they passed around the two of them, his wings emitting a soft glow of different colors and hues.
"At three, we jump alright?"
Yoongi nodded his head. When Jungkook got to three, the two of them jumped up and jumped into the pond. Yoongi was still holding onto Jungkook's hand as the surface water gave way to a dark, silent void. Their gems glittered after a few seconds of being in the void, and the two of them allowed themselves the luxury of breathing easily. Almost instantly, a path, blurry at first, opened before them. As they walked through it, more vegetation appeared, and it became clearer, as if it were something real and not a product of the pond.
"The first time I was here, it was not this way. In its place was some kind of swamp and dead plants. It was pretty depressing." Jungkook commented as they walked down the path. With their hands clasped, it was as if they were walking around instead of in the pond. A pond that connected them directly with the heart and essence of the tree.
"It's good to see the fruits of your work," Yoongi said sincerely, earning a small smile from Jungkook.
Just a few feet away, the two of them saw more than just a dirt road and vegetation. Before them, a lake became visible, with a tree in its center and a stone path over the water that led to it.
"You painted this, Jungkook," Yoongi said stunned and marvelled at the boy's precision and attention to detail. The drawing he had made was an exact copy of the place where they were.
"I haven't been here since that time." Yoongi turned to look at him, asking with his eyes how he might have drawn something so close to reality. "I just dreamed about it. And you were in that dream, that's why I asked you to tell me what you felt. I thought that you too could have dreamed of this place without remembering it."
"That was months ago." He commented as they got closer, walking carefully not to slip on the wet rocks. "I'm glad to see that the tree looks better."
"You were the one who told me to leave it black and white, Hyung." Jungkook defended himself, turning on his face.
"I know. But I could only focus on what was hanging from the tree. I couldn't see it without colour. It was made to shine."
"Of course it is. All that hangs from its branches and glows are gems, ready to be released and brought to the surface, where the fairies collect them. Then they go to the showroom for people to find their own."
"They are beautiful." He said marvelling at the brilliance of the gems. "It's a shame I can't take a picture. It would look great as wallpaper or hanging on the living room wall."
I'm glad you like it, Min Yoongi.
Yoongi was startled and looked around, searching for the owner of that voice.
"What happened?" Jungkook asked, concerned.
"Someone just spoke to me. A woman. But I don't see anyone here." Instinctively, he had gotten closer to Jungkook.
"Ah, don't worry. It is Haneul, the fairy who protects the tree. She has a habit of doing that before appearing in front of you. Fairies communicate by telepathy with humans, they find it more practical and faster. But if you ask my opinion, I'll tell you she just does it to scare you."
"I see you haven't changed your spoiler attitude, Jungkook." Said a voice from the tree.
"I've been the target of too many jokes," Jungkook argued.
From inside the tree came a woman, dressed in clothes that were strange to Yoongi, but somehow fit the fairy. Her wings were not in sight, perhaps because she did not need them and place. Her voice was firm but calm, like that of a mother teaching her son a lesson, or a teacher explaining the guidelines of a job.
"What you see as jokes, we see as training. And I'm sure you've already put over one into practice." The woman replied with a smug smile.
"Yeah, well, the point is, we're not here for that."
"I know why you're here. And I'm glad to see that you at least have the deference to bring your soulmate to me." Jungkook rolled his eyes, but Yoongi could see a small smile.
The fairy then turned to Yoongi, watching him closely and making Yoongi feel exposed, judged, but he endured the guy until the woman stopped seeing his soul.
"You may not believe it, Min Yoongi, but your gem is special. They all are, but I devoted almost as much time and care to yours as I did to Jungkook's. She knew they would meet at some point, but she didn't expect the dark fairies to taint her sooner."
Yoongi was speechless at the knowledge that this woman had of her situation just by looking at him for a few seconds. "Good thing it's tough. That must have helped you not to succumb to its powers."
"They were close." Beside him, Jungkook squeezed his hand.
"May l?" Said the fairy, pointing a finger at his gem.
When Yoongi gave his permission, the fairy extended her hand in the air with her palm up, and Yoongi's gem glowed and hover in the air. The fairy's eyes took on a golden glow as she stared at the gem. And then the fairy said something that Yoongi didn't understand. It sounded like he was speaking in another language, probably a fairy dialect. He turned to Jungkook, hoping the boy could whisper what he had said, but he was just as lost as Yoongi was.
"Min Yoongi." Hearing his name, she turned again and looked at the fairy. "You met my sister."
Yoongi frowned. That was absurd. He had never met a real fairy until today, and before meeting Haneul, he had only seen those fairies that were by the tree.
"Your gem tells me it saved your life."
And then Yoongi realized, at the same time as Jungkook, who it was.
"Hana never mentioned that you had a sister who was on the other side," Jungkook spoke after a tense silence.
"That's because she doesn't know either. It is something that brings dishonour to the family, and we fairies prefer not to talk about it, as if it had never been there." The fairy explained as she lowered her hand and Yoongi's gem rested against his chest.
"In my case, I said nothing because I thought my sister was dead. I lost sight of her when the tree got sick, and after a long time waiting for her to return, I decided that she would never return. I imagined that she would have died."
Neither could see the fairy's eyes filled with unshed tears, but her tone of voice had changed to one more melancholic and sad.
"She is looking for you." The fairy looked up at Yoongi's words. "she said that if she helped me stay alive, my gem would connect with Jungkook's, and that would allow her to find something she had been looking for a long time. She never specified it, but it's clear it has to be you."
"What I don't understand is why I knew it had to be with my gem." Jungkook wondered aloud.
"Before the tree showed the first symptoms of its disease, Shana accompanied me everywhere, as my personal bodyguard. She was with me every time I took care of the gems, especially yours. She always told me how sure she was that at some point they would meet. I used to watch the area in case someone dared to enter, something that is forbidden for most, and I thought they were not paying attention to me. But I see that I was wrong."
"And what will happen from now on?" Jungkook asked after a few seconds of silence. "I'm not trying to be insensitive, but your sister is a dark fairy, she's on their side, and I don't know if their desire to meet you is something genuine or a means to an end."
"It is true that she is now a dark fairy, but not quite. A dark fairy has no feelings of compassion. You can pretend you have them, but you don't care who dies if they suffer or not. Dark fairies do not protect or save lives, they simply take what they want and leave, because all they want is the suffering and pain of their victims. There is nothing else you need."
"So does that mean she's a dark fairy on the outside and a normal fairy on the inside?" Yoongi inquired.
"Something like that. But it's not just the fact that she saved you, but the message she left on your gem. "
"A message?" Yoongi and Jungkook asked at the same time.
"Shana was the best when it came to reading the future. She even predicted tree disease, but no one gave her a though, thinking there was nothing that was a threat to our new home. In the message she left on your gem, today's date appears, showing our meeting. And then another date appears, this one for a month from now."
"And what is the message of that date?"
" The primaeval tree. 10:45. Assistants: bearers of gems. Spectators: everyone. Read against Haneul. Result: unknown." Haneul read aloud.
"Sounds like she's talking about a war," Yoongi said.
"It is exactly that," Haneul confirmed.
This story belongs to @nometoloko on AO3. I'm just her translator.
I'm so sorry not for updating guys. My exams are going on so just a heads-up that the next few updates will be irregular. Also after exams, I'll be visiting my hometown, again irregular updates. Hope Y'all like the chap. Also continues on the next chap. Sorry for stretching it out, but it is what it is.