Reine's eyes glide across the faded words on the yellowed paper, her senses on edge at the idea that she is reading through the life of the First Queen - the one who built this entire kingdom from the ashes of the war between the Archangels and the Horsemen.

She is in awe that she is reading the true conception of her kingdom through the eyes of the person who created it. Reine's hands are visibly trembling as she slowly turns the pages, being careful not to rip the fragile parchment as she searches for anything important that could help her take back control of her kingdom and her life.

She has felt out of control of everything for so long, and the fact that she is so close to regaining her foothold is something she refuses to let get out of her grasp ever again. She has felt so lost - so, so alone - and she is finally finding her way again. This is the moment where she can right her wrongs and save her kingdom from the wrath of the Horsemen that she freed in a moment of weakness.

"Read it out loud," Jungkook says, all eyes on Reine as she picks the book off the table to hold it in her grasp.

"There's no time for us to read the entire thing," she explains as her eyes quickly scan the pages. "I will read aloud once I find something relevant to our search. There is so much here; if I read out every word, we would be here for hours."

"Smart," Hoseok says, nodding and Jungkook rolls his eyes.

"Smart," he says in a mocking tone, glaring at Hoseok.

Hoseok glances over at Jungkook with an eyebrow raised, and the two silently challenge each other while Namjoon sits in the middle of them and tries his best to ignore the staring contest.

"Here," Reine says, her eyes widening as she places the book back onto the table more heavily than she intends, causing a loud thump to echo in the room. She scans over the words again, trying to convince herself that this is real - that she has finally taken a big step in the right direction by finding something useful that could bring the odds into their favor.

"What is it?" Hoseok asks as the three men around Reine lean in closer to see the words written on the page.

Reine clears her throat, leaning over the book so she can make out the aged words more clearly. She reads aloud, trying her best to keep her voice from trembling with anticipation.

"The winter has been brutal, and our crops suffered for it. I did what I could, but sometimes one needs to accept the loss of what cannot be saved. Looking at my dirt-stained hands proved to myself that I did my best, and I walked away from the barren land with my head held high knowing this.

"I never expected to be met with three unfamiliar faces in my home when I entered. From first glance, I could tell they were something more than human. The way their bodies glowed before me nearly brought me to my knees in disbelief. I had never witnessed something so beautiful before, much less in my own home. The look in their eyes told me of their power; it told me of their strength and sincerity in what their morals are. I like to think that I am a strong judge of character; while these three strangers trespassed into my home, I could tell from the look in their eyes that the reasoning behind it was something much beyond taking things that did not belong to them as a trio of thieves would.

"They spoke of many things to me; they praised my strength and my resilience that they could so strongly sense, telling me of how the energy within my soul drew them to me. My soul beckoned them forward, they said, and the role that they needed to fill required a soul much like mine.

"My heart felt many emotions as the three strangers waited for my answer after they explained everything about who they were and what they needed from me. I knew I had to do it; what other choice did I have if the fate of the world rested on my shoulders? I knew that leaving my home would leave a sadness etched into my heart that would always leave a residual ache moving forward."

"Okay," Hoseok says, nodding. "You've found the day we came to her for her help. We explained who we were and we told her everything about the war, the boxes and the curse. We also told her of the need for an anchor - a protector, if you will. Maybe skip to the part where she was introduced to the witch. There is nothing vital to know about our travels from her home to the battlefield. We had already transitioned to transform the empty wasteland into something that could be considered a kingdom - a home."

Reine nods, feeling goosebumps spreading across her skin reading such powerful words from her ancestor. From that one entry, she feels proud to have this woman's blood coursing through her veins.

Isabelle is who she has always wished to be. She never wavered within her own personal struggles. Even though she knew it would sadden her heart, she didn't hesitate to choose to become the First Queen. She didn't hesitate to leave everything and everyone she held close to her heart for the safety of the entire world.

Reine was given that same choice when her own world was taken from her. She could have chosen to leave her loved ones behind for the benefit of her people, but she chose to chase after vengeance instead. She left the rest of the kingdom to suffer without her while she disappeared.

"Reine?" a soft voice calls, and she glances over to see Jungkook watching her with cautious eyes, silently asking her if she is okay.

She sends him a small nod, taking a steadying breath to push her thoughts to the back of her mind so she can focus on the task at hand.

She needs to find the weapon that can save humanity from Hell on Earth.

Her fingers flip through the pages, eyes skimming over the entries talking about the journey to the abandoned battlefield and the many conversations she had with the Archangels about her role and what she needed to do as the protector of the boxes.

She sees Isabelle's comments on the war and how heartbroken she was that so many human lives were lost because of the Horsemen's selfishness. She sees what Isabelle wrote about how she could see that the Archangels seemed genuinely as heartbroken at the loss of life.

Reine's eyes continue to read as fast as her mind can manage, trying to get through as much information in as little time as possible so she can know about the war from a perspective outside of the Archangels and Horsemen.

"Ah," Reine says, her fingers stopping as soon as she sees the mention of a witch in Isabelle's diary. "Here it is."

The light from the lamps that Hoseok lit when they first entered doesn't give off much more than a faint, warm glow that basks the room in a gentle light that leaves Reine squinting to see her surroundings. Her head hurts from how hard she is having to concentrate on making out the faded words on the pages, but she knows this is something she needs to do, so she pushes past the discomfort and reads aloud again.

"The Archangels insisted on a way to fight against the Horsemen should they get out of their prisons. They explained that while they could fight against them once again like the battle that was fought on this land, it would leave the newfound kingdom in ruins and they wish to protect as many humans as possible - save them from becoming casualties much like the first time such a battle was fought. So, they called upon a mysterious entity to create a weapon that could be strong enough to contain the wicked creatures - a weapon that could shut the Horsemen away again should their darkness ever overpower the angelic spell keeping the boxes closed.

"The witch, from the way she carried herself, evoked a powerful aura. The moment her eyes locked on mine, I knew she had the power to bring change to this land. After the Archangels explained their reasoning for calling upon her, she turned her powerful gaze onto the trio of men in front of her, and suddenly, her hand was grazing the face of their leader. I watched as she muttered a single word, and suddenly, the Archangel was no longer standing there. As quickly as the first vanished, the witch made the other two vanish as well until she and I were left standing in the shell of the palace being built around us.

"The witch explained that while the Archangels seemed to have the humans' best interest at heart, she could not trust them to lay eyes on such a weapon, for not only could it shut away the Horsemen into the prisons, but it could imprison the Archangels as well if the true beholder wishes it to happen. This weapon that she wished to create could only be wielded with someone who has my blood in their veins so that the Archangels and Horsemen alike could not use it as a weapon of war between each other. The Queen of this land is charged with keeping the peace and using the weapon as it is needed - on whoever she deems is guilty."

"Wow," Hoseok says, his eyes wide as Reine glances from the pages. "I didn't know the weapon could be used on us as well."

"I knew the witch did not trust us," Jungkook says, shaking his head and Namjoon scoffs.

"She banished us back to our home. Of course she distrusted us."

"I understand why," Reine says, shrugging. "Both of their main concerns were for the humans. You cared for the humans as well, yes, but your priority was keeping the Horsemen locked away, even if it meant the loss of human life. If it came to a choice, they felt like you three were willing to let people die if it meant the Horsemen would fall. Look at the war that erupted between the two sides: how many human lives were lost in the battle?"

"More than necessary," Hoseok says quietly, his head dropping.

"Those two only wished to keep the control in the hands of the humans," Reine says. "This kingdom was built not only from the ashes of the war, but also from the bones of the fallen. They didn't wish to see any more innocence lost."

"Understandable," Namjoon says, nodding his head. "Continue."

She nods back, sending him a small smile as her eyes fall back to the diary beneath her.

"The Dagger of Redemption was forged with the intention to not only give me and all future Queens a weapon to fight back instead of relying on outside powers to protect us, but it also gave all of us a chance to protect ourselves. With the Queen's life anchored to the force field that protects the outside world from the darkness of the Horsemen, it could be an easy task to kill one human separating them from their reign of terror on the world. She and I agreed that this weapon was a vital tool for anyone brave enough to sit upon the throne of Cendres.

"Upon the completion of the weapon, a thought occurred to me that I thought better to voice out instead of holding my tongue. To the witch, I asked her what would happen if the darkness corrupted the Queen herself. I asked her about the possibility of the looming temptation taking a strong hold on the heart of someone in my future lineage, making them wish to use the dagger to imprison the Archangels instead of the Horsemen. What if someone gives into the darkness and wishes for Hellfire to consume everything while she watches with her corrupted soul eating away at her body and spirit?

"The witch commended my thinking. She explained to me that there is always a possibility for light to become corrupted by the shadows that loom in the dark. Therefore, she transformed the dagger into an object that would stay close to the Queen should she require it, but it would also not transform into its true form unless the Queen's heart proved to be pure and free from the darkness that looms around us."

Reine frantically flips through the rest of the pages, desperate to see any other indication of what the weapon could possibly look like, but there is no other mention of it.

"An object that stays close to the Queen," Hoseok says. "An object that can only be used if the blood of the First Queen courses through your veins."

"What is something that you know that is passed from generation to generation?" Jungkook asks, raising his eyebrows slightly as he leans forward towards Reine.

"The crown," Reine says, shrugging. "It is the same one that was forged for Queen Isabelle."

"So that has to be the weapon, right? The crown will turn into the Dagger of Redemption when Reine's life is in danger," Hoseok says.

"My life has been in danger more times than I can count," Reine says, frowning. "I have never been presented with a dagger."

"You have not had the crown with you on your journey," Hoseok counters. "It says that the object would need to be close to the Queen, and you have kept it as far away from you as you can manage."

Reine purses her lips, looking and idly scanning the words without taking them in. She has known since the moment the crown was placed on her head during her coronation that that object - the symbol of her reign - was something she needed to wear to solidify her position as Queen. She has always known that the people of Cendres expect Reine to walk around the kingdom with her head held high, the glittering crown resting atop her hair.

Ever since she lost so much that day, she only sees the crown as something foreign - as something that doesn't truly belong to her. From the moment the crown became covered in her parents' blood, the crown has almost become a symbol of her tremendous loss. She looks at it and she sees years of memories replaying in her head of her mother wearing the same crown. She looks at it and she sees her mother's lifeless eyes staring straight through her as her life bled from her chest. She looks at it and she feels the crushing weight of her father's body on her own while he bled out onto her white dress.

Reine thinks a part of her has been scared to put the crown on, knowing she will be ruling utterly alone. She never thought she would have to do this without her parents being there with her, smiling fondly at her like they always did when she would exceed their expectations.

"We saw Queen Isabelle one last time before we left her to finish building her home," Jungkook speaks, his voice a bit quieter than normal. "When we saw her this last time, she seemed so different. Her resilience felt so much more potent as she stood in the shell of what would become the throne room. In such a short time, she had taken on this role as Queen and she made it her own. She was thriving and it was a sight to see. We also saw some physical changes to her as well. She was wearing the crown that has been passed to each Queen, but there was also something else she was wearing that she was not wearing before."

"What?" Reine asks.

Jungkook points to Reine's neck. "That necklace."

Reine's fingers immediately move to caress the metal framework of the necklace she has grown to find a sense of comfort in. She reaches to the back of her neck, gently unclasping the chain as she lays it on top of the open diary in front of her, her eyes taking in every detail of the jewelry.

"It could be the crown," Jungkook says, nodding to himself as he furrows his eyebrows, "but it could be the necklace too."

Reine leans forward, hoping that maybe the necklace will tell her what she needs to know. Maybe all of her unanswered questions have been hiding in this blood red stone all along.

"Blood red," Reine whispers, her fingers tracing the stone in the middle of the pendant. "Blood."

"Only someone with the blood of Queen Isabelle in their veins can use the weapon," Hoseok says, realizing Reine's train of thought. "Do you think...?"

"It's her blood in the stone," Reine says, picking up the necklace and watching the pendant slowly spinning in the light reflecting from the lamps and the Archangels' skin.

Reine freezes, her eyes catching the tiniest of glimmers when the light hits the stone in a certain spot. Her free hand reaches out to steady the spinning pendant, squinting in concentration as she realizes she sees something within the crimson stone that she had not ever noticed before.

"There is some kind of inscription in the stone," Reine says, and Jungkook leans closer to her so she has more light reflecting off of the stone so she can see it better.

"To overcome the darkness," Reine reads the faint words etched within it.

"Like Isabelle said about the Queen needing to be pure in her intentions with the weapon," Namjoon speaks.

Reine's eyes widen. "I have never had any intention on harming any of you, or any ill intentions in general, for that matter."

Jungkook shakes his head. "This necklace has been with you even when they were preparing to kill you, and it never transformed into the dagger. Something inside your heart is causing the weapon to believe you have darkness within you."