"It's raining" Hoseok breathed, letting out a warm breath of air as he stepped out from the sliding glass doors of the hospital. The grey clouds had given way to the rain, the road becoming alive with more splashes then his eyes could appreciate. Yet together they brought such a soothing sound, a natural melody every bit as beautiful as a soulful hum. It had only been a few short minutes since Hoseok was given the all clear from the hospital staff. His vitals were back up to speed and he'd recovered smoother then he thought he would've. 

Stepping out beside him, Yoongi's eyes turned to the rain past the cover of the awning, "So?" he spat, brows furrowing together at Hoseok's sluggish tone of voice.

Rolling his eyes, Hoseok turned to the shorter male, "We don't have umbrellas." 

Letting out a chuckle, Aurora too stepped out from the sliding glass doors, reaching Hoseok's side, "A little rain never hurt." she spoke, eyes falling to the rain outside. The water droplets fell like they simply couldn't think of anything better to do. There was a laziness about them, as if they could barely be bothered to conform to the will of gravity. With a smile, Aurora held her bare arm out past the cover of the front of the hospital. The droplets splattered onto her outstretched fingers, large and soft as they rolled down her arm like tiny rivers. The sweet smell of petrichor that came with the rain was her favourite. 

Watching Aurora's willingness to step out from the hospital, Hoseok let out a tired sigh, "Whatever you say." he spoke, following Yoongi and Aurora as they stepped out from the cover. With a cold chill Hoseok felt each splash that touched his skin, watching as his grey t-shirt became a deeper and more rocky hue. It was as if earlier the street had been a matt photograph, only to be washed as glossy as any magazine page. 

Hoseok was suppressing his shivers as he grew colder. Ironic that the barer of energy didn't radiate heat in the cold, more so lost it instead. 

Boots splashing against the growing puddles against the footpath, Hoseok was growing tired of the effects of the rain. Although still early morning, the street lights had flickered on, illuminating the hazy grey atmosphere. "Where are we going anyway?" Hoseok asked, raising a hand as he swept his damp hair from his eyes. 

Eyes widening in realisation, Aurora turned her attention to the orange haired male beside her, "Back to a hotel room Yoongi and I are renting out." She began to explain. She was honestly surprised Hoseok was so willing to follow along with their unsteady plan. They had very little believable information, and dangerous foes, but Hoseok was still quick to jump at the idea of saving the universe. Feeling dreadful, Aurora's gaze fell to the rain-washed footpath, "Sorry to say, but we won't be able to afford it much longer."

Turning his gaze to the raven haired female, Hoseok frowned, "How come?"

Biting down on her lower lip, Aurora gestured towards the male beside her, "We're college students." she explained, earning a nod from Yoongi, small trickles of water drizzling from his hair and down his porcelain skin. 

Hoseok's lips parted, "Ahhh... that makes sense then." he breathed, forgetting that normal people his age attended collage, unlike himself who focused on street dance. Pondering for a moment, Hoseok came to an epiphany, "I could help out?" he piped up, earning both Yoongi and Aurora's attention, "I live above the small cafe I work in. It's only one bedroom, but there's a couch and-"

"We'll take it!" Aurora and Yoongi both chirped with bright expressions. They were sick and tired of the old run down hotel, and Hoseok definitely seemed like an organised man.

The orange haired male chuckled, "Feisty are we."

Returning to their silence, Hoseok pressed on, thinking of the warmth they'd soon be engulfed by once they managed to reach his cafe. As rain trickled down his heated skin, there was a part of him that had become jealous of the car drivers, safe behind the glass of their windscreen. 

The sound of a stomach rumbling cut Hoseok from his trance, gaze falling to the male walking in perfect stride beside him. Yoongi sighed, placing a hand against his stomach as he over dramatically acted out his emotions, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm dying of hunger right now." he complained, not having eaten anything whilst in the hospital with Hoseok. 

Aurora chuckled, long strands of hair matted to her petite form as she rose a finger, "Why don't we head down town and grab something to eat?" she suggested, clutching her coat containing the book of elements tighter against her form, "I've heard of this cool place that-" she stopped.

They all paused. Lips parted in awe as they came to a complete standstill in the middle of the bustling town street. Only they couldn't call it a bustling street for much longer, because without them noticing,

... everything had come to a standstill.

With a shaking hand, Aurora rose her fingertip to a single glassy droplet of rain frozen in front of her very eyes. It sparkled in the light of the street as she lightly tapped it, breaking it into a million smaller water droplets. 

Her eyes widened in fascination, "What... what's happened?"

Turning on his heels, Yoongi slipped his hands out from the pockets of his jeans waving them in front of a random city goers eyes. He waved his hand back and forth with annoyance, brows furrowing together and lips twisting into a frown at the lack of response, "It's like... like time has frozen?"

Rain was floating all around them, splashed puddles frozen in mid air and daily city commuters paused on the sides of the street. The cars had come to a standstill, birds flying for shelter stuck mid air in this frozen point of time. 

Hoseok stumbled a step backwards at the sight, "What the fudge..."

Yoongi ran a hand through his hair, "What the fuck indeed." he spoke flatly, earning an eye roll from the male beside him. 

"Look!" Aurora piped up, finger pointed through the diamond like speckles of frozen rain. Turning her attention down the water covered streets, Aurora couldn't help but shiver at the sight of a single moving man walking closer and closer towards their position. 

Yoongi was taken aback, "Wait- who..."

Strolling down the centre of the street towards them was a lone man, umbrella risen perfectly over his head despite the frozen rain. His soft blonde hair fell gorgeously over his almond shaped eyes, plump lips pursed as he neared Aroura's shivering form. His honey like skin was almost glowing under the warm light of the street, but Aurora failed to notice. 

She was too busy concentrating on the book heating up underneath her jacket. 

Noticing Aurora's pained expression as she removed the book from underneath her jacket, Yoongi was quick to narrow his eyes at the approaching man. It didn't take long for his jaw to go slack at the sight of a glowing mark against the male's skin, two clock hands on his wrist confirming Yoongi's suspicion that this was in fact an elemental. 

Noticing Yoongi's shell shocked state, the man holding the umbrella's lips ticked up into a sly smirk. Taking one final step towards the trio, the male watched on as Aurora let out a pained yelp, letting the burning book slip from her fingertips, splashing against the puddle at her feet.

She sucked in a breath, "Dammit." she muttered, realising that the pages of the book were probably now full of water damage. 

Crouching down, Aurora tucked a loose strand of damp hair behind her ear, reaching out to remove the book of elements from the puddle, but another hand beat her to it instead. With a surprised expression, Aurora's eyes trailed up to the male bending over to pick up the book, the both of them standing up straight before the blonde haired male politely held the book back towards her. 

There was a moment of silence as she paused, hesitating before slowly reaching out for the book. The male was noticeably tall, taller then Hoseok even as he looked down upon Aurora's form. It was only then did Aurora somehow realise that although of Asian appearance, his hair was naturally blonde. 

Yoongi stepped forwards, "Um... hi?" he spoke bluntly, quickly snatching the book from the blonde's hands. He wasn't in the mood for games anymore, "I know you ain't normal."

The blonde haired male chuckled, a sweet chuckle as he locked eyes with Yoongi's tense form, "And I know you're not normal entities either." he spoke, surprising the trio with his elegant tone. The male's voice was enchanting with the slight hint of an unrecognisable accent. 

Gesturing towards his illuminated marking, Yoongi took a step back, returning to Aurora's side, "You must be the bearer of-"

"Time." The male smiled, "The universe's bearer of time."

Cocking a brow, Aurora clutched the book of elements tightly to her chest, "But how... how do you know you're an elemental?" she asked, mind swarming with questions as to how this male had full control and knowledge over his abilities. 

With an umbrella still cast over his head, the male spoke, "I'm not like you humans." he stated, a single blonde strand of hair falling over his deep brown orbs. 

Yoongi choked on his saliva, "Wait- humans?" he spoke up, questioning the male's words, "You ain't human or something?"

"Not from your race no." he confirmed, sweeping a strand of loose hair from his forehead, "Why i've always known about my elemental ability. Longer then you've all been alive to be completely honest." he explained, earning silent stares of awe from the trio before him. 

They were silent, mouths gaping as words failed to leave their lips. Their minds were clouded with questions waiting to be answered by this unknown male, someone who unlike them was more educated on the elements of reality. 

Rolling his eyes with a chuckle, the blonde haired male hovered a finger above his wrist. Looking on in awe, Aurora watched as the male showed full control over the marking on his wrist, spinning one hand of the clock tattoo back a rotation. Hoseok almost jumped out of his skin the moment the rain began to rise, people beginning to walk backwards as if he were rewinding an old video tape. It lasted a second before the unknown male took a finger off his tattoo, the marking loosing its glow as the world was set into motion once again. 

With Hoseok, Yoongi and Aurora all frozen in shock, the male let out a chuckle, 

"Care for a cup of coffee?"

~*~

Rubbing her knuckles against her eyes, Aurora let out a yawn as the barista finally delivered their drinks to the table. The girl couldn't help but smile at the hot chocolate placed down in front of her, small glittery marshmallows stuffed into the perfect mound of whipped cream. 

"Just looking at that gives me diabetes." Yoongi scoffed, taking his iced coffee into his grasp and taking a long sip through the straw. 

From across the table, Hoseok shot him a deadly glare, "Are you making fun of the drinks my café sells?" he spoke sternly, raising a brow at the raven haired male's comment. 

Yoongi shrugged, placing his iced coffee back against the table, "It's true though."

Rolling her eyes at the bickering males, Aurora turned her attention to the blonde haired male seated beside her. Without his umbrella shadowing his face, Aurora was quick to notice that this male actually had quite soft features, a gentle way with his actions as he sipped at his tea. 

Aurora bit down on her lip, "So... um." she paused as she tried to find her words, "You said your name was?"

The male gave a soft smile, "Seokjin." he responded, placing his teacup down with a small ting, "Kim Seokjin." 

"And you're one of the original elements of the universe?" she asked, wanting to confirm that what Seokjin had explained to them on the way to the cafe was in fact true. She couldn't believe her ears at what she'd heard. 

Their was a grim look in Seokjin's eyes as he responded, "That's... that's correct." he breathed, letting out a sorrowful sigh as he laced his hands around the handle of his teacup once again. 

Droplets trickled down the cafe window, bringing a sense of calmness to the group inside, "I guess that explains your ring." Aurora commented, gesturing towards the single silver ring slipped onto the male's hand. It was a work of art, edges twisting and swirling into a single point where a deep violet stone rested in the centre. Aurora frowned, "I thought all the elemental stones had been stolen?"

Lowering his drink from his lips, Jin chuckled, "You don't think much do you?" he smiled, shaking his head in disappointment as he lowered his cup to the table, "If all the elemental stones had been stolen, your galaxy would've perished long ago." he explained. 

Pausing, Aurora took a moment to think. For Seokjin to say something along those lines, she'd have to assume that if all of the stones had been stolen, the universe would've died straight away instead of being in a slowly dying state like the universe was currently in. 

She gulped, "Roughly twenty-five years ago..."

Flinching, Seokjin felt a cold shiver run down the back of his spine, "How do you know-"

"This book." She spoke up, slipping the book from her lap and sliding it out onto the wooden table. The book had explained that something had happened to the elementals, and whatever happened, happened roughly twenty years ago, "Seokjin..." she breathed, voice soft and understanding, "What happened?" she asked, eyes locking with Seokjin's fearful ones, "What happened to the stones?"

There was a moment of silence before he spoke with a sad chuckle, "Getting straight into the questions are we." he commented before gesturing towards the book against the table, "Do you mind if I take a look at that book of yours?" he asked, placing down his teacup as he asked for Aurora's permission. 

She gave a small nod, "Go ahead."

Extending a hand, Seokjin let his fingers trace across the golden engravings, taking it into his grasp as he examined the cover, "No water damage... impressive."

"It's magical somehow." Aurora began to explain, watching as Seokjin opened up the leather cover, beginning to scan briefly through the old pages, "A page magically appears here and there with a section of the story... the last entry was about Andromeda." she spoke, leaning across the table as she flipped the page over for Seokjin. 

The blonde haired male noticeably shuddered at her words, eyes diverting themselves from the page, "Ahhh..." he sighed, "Andromedans."

From across the table, Yoongi choked on his drink, "'Andromedans!?'" he exclaimed, slamming his drink against the table "So it's true! There are people in Andromeda!"

Seokjin slammed the book shut, sliding it back across the table to Aurora, "Oh there's people alright, and boy are they scary." he uttered, crossing his arms over his form as he leant further back into his chair, "They're the reason for this mess."

Hoseok's eyes widened, "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Jin confirmed with a knowledgable look, "The leader of the most powerful civilisation wants the elemental powers for the benefit of his own galaxy, prolonging its life beyond what's scientifically possible." he finished, reaching back for another sip of his tea. 

Hoseok rose a brow, leaning forwards in his chair, "Prolonging it's life?"

Jin gave a small nod, "All stars go out one day." he began to explain, gaining the upmost attention of the trio, "It may seem like centuries away, but for a civilisation as long living as them... it's a big threat." he stated, speaking of how different of a galaxy it was to the Milky Way. "They're trying to use the power of the elements to make their galaxy everlasting, even if they have to go as far as to snuff out other galaxies for it." he spoke, eyes falling to his lap with his next words, "Including my own." he finished, rubbing a finger over the single elemental stone in his ring. It seemed like a touchy subject, so Aurora refrained from questioning him about it. 

Taking her hot chocolate into her hands, Aurora took a sip, wiping the whipped cream from her lips as she placed her drink back against the table, "So I'm guessing the Milky way isn't the only Galaxy suffering?"

"No... but it is holding onto it's life the longest... I have no idea how though." he voiced, pausing before he continued, "None of you elementals have your gemstones.... and I haven't been channelling any energy from mine into the earth in fear of being discovered." he pondered, "It must be getting elemental energy from somewhere though."

Gesturing towards Seokjin's stone, Yoongi brushed his fingers against his earring, "I'm guessing we need them?"

Raising a hand, Jin gave the two male's a full view of his ring, "You may be the elemental bearers, but it amounts to nothing without your gem." he chuckled, moving his ring so it glistened in the light, "I almost died for this gem... and I'm guessing the other elementals met their ends for it."

Hoseok gulped at the male's calm tone of voice whilst recalling something so dreadful "You weren't with the other elementals?"

Letting his hand fall back to the table, Jin let out a sigh, "No." he spoke, "I knew them, but to keep harmony and balance between the universe, we all originate from separate galaxies." he explained, calm expression being replaced by a frown, "Which makes me confused as to why all of the elementals have been reborn here on earth..."

Yoongi slammed a hand against the table, causing Hoseok to flinch from beside him, "Wait- all of the elementals?" he shout, earning harsh stares from customers seated in the cafe, "They're all here on earth?"

Jin smirked, "From what I can sense, yes."

Yoongi's eyes lit up in wonder, "Woah, can we sense cool stuff like that?"

Jin's expression fell flatly, "No, because you don't have your gem"

Scoffing, Yoongi rolled his eyes as he swiped his drink from the table top, taking a long sip as he diverted his eyes from the blonde. Hoseok chuckled, "Jealous much?"

"Shut up." Yoongi groaned.

The sound of the glass door to the cafe opening broke through the sudden silence, the small chime signalling the arrival of a new customer. Lowing his drink to the table, Jin rested his head against the palm of his hand, lip twisting into a devilish smirk as he eyed the newly arrived customer, 

"Here comes one now." 

Breath hitching in their throats, Yoongi, Hoseok and Aurora snapped their attention towards the male walking towards the counter. Aurora's eyes scanned the male for any knowing signs, pausing at a single marking that confirmed that Jin was right, 

The marking of a tree on his wrist.

{Author Note}

I'm finally getting back into this series! I don't know how, but I got serious writers block for this book, but now I'm back ready to continue!

Also... I finally got my eclipse tattoo. Low key reminds me of yoonseok in this book ahahaha:

(unedited)