The trees of Verre become more and more dispersed, and Reine sees that grains of sand are replacing the grass and overgrown roots of the forest's floor.

Though the air surrounding the two is still thick and humid, she can feel it changing: the humidity is being replaced slowly by a drier, hotter air as they move further away from Verre and closer to Chaleuse.

"We're getting close," Jimin says, glancing over at her as the two step over a fallen tree limb. "Make sure you conserve your energy by not snapping at me every five minutes."

He grins at her, his light-hearted energy radiating off of him as he waits for her usual snappy response.

Reine decides to ignore Jimin's sarcastic comment, knowing he enjoys riling her up far too much. She knows he enjoys the retaliation she consistently provides, so she decides to irritate him by choosing to ignore him instead of falling into the trap again.

The two continue their trek, Reine already missing the cover of the trees as the sun beams heavily on them. She swears the sun is shining even brighter here.

Jimin grimaces as the forest floor shifts into nothing but sand as the two stop in their tracks, taking in the endless desert before them as the outskirts of Verre sway in the slight, warm breeze.

"I hate the desert," he groans as he walks forward, and Reine follows behind him, already uncomfortable with the dry heat engulfing the two as they walk through the sand.

The sunlight shines brightly against the miles upon miles of desert, causing both of them to have to squint against the harshness of the light surrounding them. The two can already feel the increase in temperature from the lack of shade, and Jimin wipes sweat from his neck.

"How in the world will we find your brother and his weapon here?" Reine asks as her eyes widen at the sheer size of Chaleuse. She knows the outer regions are approximately the same size, but the trees in Verre made it seem smaller compared to the vast openness of Chaleuse laid out before the two. Where Verre seemed enclosed, Chaleuse is the opposite, nothing in their vicinity offering any kind of protection from the heat bearing on them.

"Like I could sense my weapon, I can sense my brothers," he explains as he turns to look at her, his eyes squinting slightly in the sun's light reflecting off of the sand. "It's faint, but I can tell he's here somewhere. We need to follow the trail."

"Right," she nods, knowing she will have to put her trust into Jimin's instincts if they want to find the next of the Horsemen. "Which way?"

He closes his eyes, frowning slightly in concentration as Reine watches him with a curious look on her face. She knows that this is what he does to feel that connection, so she stays quiet as she lets him figure out where the next Horseman could possibly be.

Jimin laughs out loud before pointing straight ahead. "That way. I can tell he can sense me coming too. He's excited."

Reine bites her lip, willing herself to subconsciously admit that she is nervous to meet the next brother. She knows the Horsemen need her to free them, but she also realizes that they might not be as welcoming as Jimin is, and she may need to do more convincing to prove to them that she can be their Master so they will do as she desperately needs them to do.

"You're overthinking," he says, waving his hand in front of her before gesturing her forward. "He is the least of your concerns when it comes to my brothers, I promise. Aside from me, of course."

"I trust you," Reine says, glancing at him for a moment before she two move forward again. "Maybe."

"Steps in the right direction," he beams, "in both a literal and metaphorical sense."

She lets out a small laugh as she wipes the already-forming sweat on her forehead and he moves to grab her cloak out of the bag strapped to his back. His arrows rattle in their sheath as they stay situated on his back next to the bag. His bow is gleaming brilliantly underneath the sun, its bronze accents shining proudly as it lays on its owner's back.

"Use this to cover yourself," Jimin explains as he places it over Reine's shoulders. "Use the hood to keep yourself in the shade so you're not so exposed."

She nods, making sure the cloak is secured on herself before pulling the hood, hiding her face from the relentless sun beaming above them.

"I never understood why he liked this place," he groans in annoyance as he fans his face. "At least with my home, there was plenty of shade to rest in. This heat is miserable and there's nowhere to even cool off. It's a giant expanse of bullshit."

"It is uncomfortable here," she admits, ignoring the dryness already forming on her tongue as the two continue to move forward through the endless desert. "Also, your language is foul and I demand you watch your tongue."

Jimin sighs as he tries to hold in his laughter. "You are way too uptight, Reine. Loosen up! Say a few curse words or something."

Reine wrinkles her nose and looks over at him, who has a look of utter amusement on his face. "No, thank you."

"Even now, you're using manners," he sighs, shaking his head as his armor glitters in the sunlight. "I'll get you to loosen up. If not me, my brother will. He has that effect on people, much to the annoyance of my other two brothers. They are the party poopers of the family."

"Jimin," Reine says quietly as the two walk side-by-side, and he glances over for a second to let her know he's listening before looking forward again.

She sighs before speaking again. "I'm nervous about meeting this brother. I feel lucky to have met you first since you seem easygoing, but I'm worried the others will not be so keen to bow to me as their Master."

Jimin shakes his head as he closes his eyes for a moment, making sure they're still on the right path towards his brother before replying. "I know this is your life's goal right now and I realize how important this is for you. I can promise that the brother we are going after right now will go along with what you ask. The other two will take a bit more convincing, if I'm honest, but if you show your dominance as you've shown to me time and time again, I feel like they would be willing to give you a chance. You have to be confident in yourself and be willing to put us in our places when need be."

Reine hums, swallowing dryly as she winces. Jimin notices, and he moves to take her canteen from the bag and hands it to her with a small smile on his lips.

"Small sips," he reminds her and she nods, wishing she would have thought to bring more canteens so she wouldn't have to be so careful with her water intake. The water inside is warm, much to her dismay, but she knows it is warm from it being boiled this morning and the surrounding heat is doing nothing to help it cool.

After two small sips of water, Reine nods in content and slips the lid back onto the canteen. She places the canteen back into the bag Jimin is carrying before sighing and biting her lip.

"I am unsure of who I am at the moment, which makes it hard to be confident," she explains and he hums in acknowledgement.

"I know we're bonding right now, and this may be the wrong moment to mention this, but I feel like we need to rewind and talk about the part where you said you feel lucky to have met me first," he says, holding his hand as she rolls her eyes.

"You wouldn't be Jimin if you didn't bring that up," Reine sighs in resignation. "I may be slightly delirious from this heat, as I am not used to these conditions, but I do stand by what I said. I'm thankful for your openness with me. You didn't have to be so friendly; we could've worked together as nothing more than strangers, or even acquaintances, but you continuously do your best to keep things light-hearted. Thank you for that."

Jimin hums, nodding his head slightly as the two glance forward into the endless expanse before them.

"I always went through phases like these," Reine speaks after a few moments of silence between the two. "I would waver in my self confidence sometimes. I would worry I'm not what this kingdom needs. I would worry I'm not enough."

Jimin nods as he listens, feeling the woman beside him opening up slightly, so he decides it's better not to insert any snarky remarks in this moment. Not when she is sharing a vulnerable thought and letting her walls down, even if it is only for a moment.

"When I would feel this way, however, my parents or my best friend would always be there in an instant to reassure me of how hard I have worked for the entirety of my life. I was born for this role, and I spent my entire life dedicating every moment of my time to ensure I was the best I could be."

"Now you don't have them to keep you in check," he says and she nods.

"I will never deny that I have been raised in riches and privilege," she says as she glances at the cloudless sky. "I had the best teachers, the best food, the best clothes... but at the end of the day, I am still a human. I still have weaknesses of my own, and the people whom I love the most could turn those moments into something positive when I was too lost in my own head to rescue myself."

"Now you have no choice but to rescue yourself," he adds.

"Right," she nods. "I have no choice but to be strong. If I am not, I have no one to catch me, and my fall could bring down everything with me."

"That's a lot to have on your shoulders when you're so young," he says, shrugging apologetically.

"I am 18 years old and I knew from a young age that this would be when I would become Queen," she explains. "I never expected that I would be doing this alone."

"Hey," Jimin says, nudging his shoulder against Reine's. "You're not alone."

She glances at the sand as the two walk, seeing as her boots dig into the ground beneath her with every step. "I guess not."

"Ah," he says with a smile on his face as he stretches his arms over his head. "Bonding."

"You are bothersome," Reine frowns, though she can't hide the ghost of a smile crossing her lips.

"I agree," he beams at her, nodding his head as she manages a laugh. "And you are uptight."

"I'm stressed," she corrects, holding her finger up.

"Agree to disagree," he shrugs as he stops for a moment to close his eyes again. He tilts his head slightly to the side, almost as if he's trying to hear something that she can't.

"Shit," Jimin whispers as Reine gasps slightly in annoyance.

"Watch your language, Jimin," she scolds but he holds up his hand and she stops talking, frowning slightly as she watches him concentrating fully on whatever he is doing. She usually sees a smirk or a grin on his face, but right now there is no hint of humor or amusement on his features as he stands still.

"Shit, shit, shit," he says a bit louder as he opens his eyes and sighs loudly.

Reine purses her lips together, knowing it must be serious by the look on Jimin's face.

"Those angels are assholes. I don't know if I've mentioned that yet," he says in an annoyed tone, shaking his head as he turns to her.

"I think they've put a monster in each region to guard the boxes," he explains. "I thought maybe it was a coincidence with the dragon, but I can sense something here too. It's nearly in the same place as my brother's box."

"Another dragon?" Reine asks, fighting a shiver running down her spine despite the unforgiving heat. Her mind goes back to Verre, the bruises on her side and back groaning in pain as the unpleasant memories resurface.

"No," Jimin shakes his head. "It would be something that thrives in a desert environment and it is something even more vicious to make the journey even more difficult."

She bites her lip nervously. "Can you take it on yourself?"

He laughs. "I guess we'll find out. Hopefully we can get to my brother's box before the monster gets to us so I could have a helping hand."

"I'm useless with this," she shakes her head as she glances into the distance, seeing nothing but sand in every direction she looks. "I can't help defeat such beasts."

"You are the only one who can open those boxes," he corrects, raising an eyebrow. "If anything, you are more useful than we are right now."

Reine sends him a tight smile. "I appreciate your tactic to make me feel better. You are trying to do what my family used to do, and I do recognize the effort."

Jimin smiles, reaching out to take her hand for a moment and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He blinks a few times, as if he's clearing his vision, before he sends her another smile and lets her hand go. "I'd like to consider us as friends now, and that is what friends do, if I remember correctly."

"Right," she says, nodding. "Friends."

He gasps, placing his hand over his chest dramatically as the two walk again. "I think you're delirious. This is far too much praise from you at once."

She sighs. "I cannot rule that out, but the fact that I survived this far thanks to you should count for something."

"You give credit where credit is due," he echoes her earlier words and she rolls her eyes as he laughs.

"Can you sense anything about the monster? What kind is it? How close is it to us or your brother?" she asks, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart as her nerves kick in knowing there is another beast lying in wait.

"It's staying close to my brother's box," he says, running a hand through his hair. "I have an idea what it could be, but I don't want to say it until I'm sure."

"Why not?" she asks, frowning.

"I don't want to scare you unnecessarily," he smiles apologetically.

Reine's mouth drops open slightly before she snaps it shut.

"Don't worry," Jimin says, shaking his hands slightly as he tries to brush off her fear. "All you have to focus on is opening the box. I'll take care of the rest."

"Are we close?" she asks, glancing around to see if she can see any indication of where a box could be kept.

"Yes," he says, frowning in concentration as he holds his hand out as if he's reaching for something. "We're nearly there."

"I do not see anything," she says, looking all around them as they move forward.

Jimin sighs. "I guarantee the bastards buried it in the sand."

"Language," Reine mutters, causing him to smirk at her. "So we have to find where you can sense him the strongest and dig, right?"

"Easier said than done," he says, running a hand through his hair again. "We have no shovels, or any tools at all for that matter. We will have to dig through burning hot sand with our hands underneath the heat of the sun while trying not to collapse from exhaustion. Oh, and we also need to keep an eye out for a basilisk, but don't look right at it because if you look into its eyes, you die."

Her eyes widen and his do too as his hand moves to cover his mouth.

"You see," Jimin explains as his hand falls away limply at his side. "I got to talking and I couldn't shut myself up."

"A basilisk?" Reine asks, her voice coming out as nothing more than a squeak as she recalls what she knows about the massive snake - how its gaze alone can kill someone instantaneously, and its size makes it relatively easy for it to crush someone beneath its weight.

He rubs the back of his neck as they walk, their pace quickening as they get closer and closer to where the box and the beast are.

"I can't be certain, but it would make sense with it being a desert dweller and it being insanely dangerous," he replies, shrugging slightly as she tries to keep her breathing under control.

She needs to trust that Jimin will keep her safe so she can get to the box and open it.

"We have to be about a mile away," he says, running both hands through his hair. Reine realizes he must do this when he is anxious or frustrated. "It's getting strong."

"I don't see the monster," she says, keeping her eyes on the surrounding sand dunes.

"It's underneath us somewhere," he says and she gasps slightly as she glances at her sandy boots.

"I would like to say it won't show up until we dig for the box," Jimin says, "but we'd better assume it can show up at any moment, so we need to move quickly. If I'm right about it being a basilisk, my arrows won't do much in terms of hurting it. We need something more substantial."

"Like what?" Reine asks, biting her lip.

"My brother," he says, coming to a stop suddenly.

"Is his box here?" she asks, looking at Jimin's boots.

"Right under us," he nods. "I'm sure of it. Dig. Quickly."