***trigger warning***

"Guys, meet Park Nana."

The name bounced around Aera's mind like an old forgotten lullaby, vaguely reminding her of something she desperately tried to hang on to.

"Layla?" Nana frowned, breaking the abnormally long silence. "Did your friends just fall into a group trance?"

Layla shrugged cluelessly, taking a good look at Aera, Yoongi and Taehyung.

The three of them exchanged brief glances, lingering with confusion. Unsurprisingly, all of them knew about the tragedy of Jimin losing his last remaining family relatives. Yet, the questions piled over their heads relentlessly.

Should they say something? Should they acknowledge the fact that Nana might be Jimin's deceased sister? She looked relatively younger than him, so if yes, would she even remember her brother? What if this is just some kind of coincidence? Bombarding her with questions didn't seem like a good idea, and not only because she looked like she could crush their skulls with a snap of her finger.

Aera's teeth caught her lower lip as she stared at the slim girl before her. Nana was a real stunner, much like Jimin. Even with her bare face and messy hair, she resembled some kind of goddess. A twinge of anger and violence scintillated in her caramel hues. She reminded Aera of Athena, the Greek goddess of war strategy and weaving.

Aera's heart clenched at the resemblance Nana shared with Jimin. This was who she was reminded of while watching Nana fight that man earlier and she couldn't be more mad at herself for not noticing it earlier.

Like her brother, Nana was a phenomenal fighter with amazing technique, she was exceptionally fast, agile and even a little bit sly. She knew how to trick her opponent in underestimating her and how to surprise them, she was smart, calculated and precise.

Jimin... the name echoed in Aera's mind ominously. It seemed like it was a lifetime ago that she last saw him, but his face was still so vivid in her mind. Surprisingly enough, her love for Jimin was the only thing that couldn't be wiped away from her mind. It persevered, making itself at home in her heart it refused to leave.

There was a reason that it was still standing; loving him was embedded in her genes and no magic or supernatural phenomenon could touch or alter it. Love and passion were the most resilient human emotions and couldn't be wiped away so easily.

She glanced over at Taehyung and Yoongi again. At this moment, the three of them settled on some kind of unspoken agreement; it was for the best that they don't show they know who Nana is just yet and instead, just gather as much information about her until their suspicions have been confirmed.

"Woah, you were awesome out there!" Yukwon's enthusiasm bubbled through him as he stepped up to shake Nana's hand. "I wouldn't want to cross you, like ever."

Nana smirked, looking at him through half-hooded eyes.

"Thank you." she simply said.

"Nana is truly amazing," Layla clapped her hands rapidly, a wide grin on her face as she gazed at the tattooed girl next to her. "She's kind of like the mother of our little group. She's the toughest one of all of us-"

"All of you?" Yoongi lifted a brow. "How many girls exactly are there?"

Layla and Nana exchanged knowing, but at the same time exhausted glances, as if the question made them dreary.

"Maybe it would be better if we just show you guys..." Layla said hesitantly as Nana merely shrugged, shoving her hands in the pocket of her oversized ripped jeans.

"Whatever, if you think we can trust them then I'm with you."

"I'm fairly sure we can trust them." Layla gave a grave nod as she examined everyone's faces before her eyes halted on Yoongi. She gulped as her orbs filled with caution.

"It's alright," Aera hurried to assure her, having noticed the subtle shift in her posture. "He's... good now." She realized she had troubles putting the words out. Somehow the words 'Yoongi' and 'good' didn't exactly go hand in hand in her mind but right now she was sure he most definitely wasn't up to anything bad in particular.

Layla nodded pensively. Seeing Yoongi right now probably brought back traumatic memories about no other than her own murderer, Hyukjae, which was understandable considering the two men used to be inseparable.

"Come with me," she gestured for them to follow her and Nana whose face was blanketed by a thin veil of casual indifference.

Aera, Yoongi, Taehyung and Yukwon all followed suite almost simultaneously. Aera picked up her pace a little bit and started walking beside Layla who had assumed a very serious air all of a sudden. Her baby blue eyes seemed like she was in deep thought and her lower lip was tucked in between her teeth.

They spent the next fifteen minutes or so in walking as Aera tried to catch Layla up on everything that had went down in her life; from how everything started to how it ended, how Jiah was the one behind it all and how Aera had risked her own life to save her friends from the demon fox.

"I've always admired you Ms. Lee- I mean, Aera," Layla said. "For what is worth, I always found it extremely odd how Mr. Lee and you were related... you were both so different. I remember always being scared of him, something about him was seriously creeping me out."

"He's a fucking psychopath." Taehyung called out from the back.

"That's one way to put it," Layla nodded politely. "Now that I know everything I can see there was a reason for this. He wasn't entirely human."

"We're here." Nana announced flatly, chewing on her gum.

They all came to a halt in front of something that resembled a cave built into a muddy brown rock of a cliff. Silently, Nana stepped in and disappeared in the abysmal darkness of the cavern. Even her chillingly stealthy movements were the same as Jimin's. Layla motioned for everyone to follow as they stepped in one by one.

As soon as her eyes accustomed to the blackness, Aera found out they were in some kind of an abandoned coal mine. For a moment, she lost her balance and her shoulder met the wall which was rougher and colder than the air inside.

A flashlight beam cracked through the darkness as Nana held it in front of her, illuminating the path for the others. Without a word, they all started walking after her. The tunnel was narrow so it was difficult walking side by side. Aera staggered when her shoe slipped on one of the damp rocks scattered on the ground and was just on her way to fall down on her butt as someone gripped her hands and brought her back to standing.

She threw a furtive glance over her shoulder. It was too dark to identify who was walking behind her even though she deduced it could be Taehyung, judging by the black bangs falling over his face.

But the familiar touch of coldness coiled around her wrist told her it was Yoongi. An electric current sparked between their skin as she hurried to break contact.

Aera jerked her hand back and shoved it in the pocket of her jacket as she resumed to walk briskly after Layla.

It wasn't long before they reached a dusty wooden door covered in cobwebs. Nana yanked it open abruptly and they entered a room.

The air inside was stagnant, there were no colors, no movement of the air, no warmth. A desolate light bulb flickered from the ceiling. There were no windows and no other sources of light.

"Layla, c'est toi?"

A low, raspy voice like dark brown velvet echoed in the dimly lit room. It was hard to see where it was coming from, but it was evident it belonged to a woman.

"It's us," Nana announced blankly, dropping her backpack on the ground.

"Qui sont ces gens avec vous?" the voice asked again.

"Ce sont mes amis," Layla answered in impeccable French.

"Your friends?" a new voice emerged, cold and cruel as a knife. "We have no friends here, Layla. Who the hell have you brought into our home? You're gonna get us all killed!" the voice hissed venomously.

There could be heard rustling in the room as well as the sound of stomping feet. A slim, tall woman panned into view, dressed in a black turtle neck and a pair of black leather pants with knives hanging from the belt. Her hair was very short, stretching a little bit under her chin, and her eyes were cold and emotionless.

"Speak." She grumbled, pointing at Aera at the others.

"For fuck's sake, chill Jungah," Nana groaned, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from her jacket and lighting one of them. "They're harmless."

"Oh, so they're your friends now, too?" the woman whose name was apparently Jungah snapped at Nana. She looked significantly older than the other girls, like she was in her early thirties or so.

"Don't mind her, she's just super paranoid and a kind of a nutjob," Nana shrugged as she drew from the cigarette. "Calm your tits, auntie."

"It's okay, Jungah, they're new here and need help," Layla said in a pleading tone. "I used to know them... back on the other side."

"Did I hear there were new people here??" a petite brunette with curly hair waddled over, her eyes sparkling with excitement and innocence. "Hello everyone, my name is Hazel!" she chirped, reaching out to shake everyone's hand. "Like a hazelnut, but just Hazel, hehe!!" she chuckled and flashed them the brightest grin they had ever seen.

"You already met Jungah, and this is Hazel," Layla introduced them calmly. "And that over there is Giselle, but we call her Elle for short."

She pointed at the other side of the room where a tall blonde was lying on one of the bunk beds. She got on her feet gracefully and flipped her hair. She was exceptionally beautiful and had legs for days, her eyes were a forest green, small and narrow and resembling those of a cat.

"Enchantée," Giselle purred deeply. Judging by the French and the huskiness to her voice, apparently it was her who had spoken first when they had arrived.

"I don't speak croissant, but it's very lovely to meet you." Yukwon mumbled dreamily.

She was easily one of the most gorgeous women Aera had ever seen. It seemed like the others agreed with her, especially Yukwon in particular whose jaw was hanging loosely at the sight of the ravishing blonde. Even Taehyung and Yoongi were gaping and usually it took a lot to impress them.

"Layla, Nana, I demand that these strangers leave right now," Jungah said, a tinge of irritation in her voice. "What if he comes and sees them here-"

"He's attending the High Council gathering, he won't be back for at least one more day," Nana cut her off sternly.

"Who is he?" Taehyung asked cluelessly.

"It's that man I told you about," Layla explained. "The one who holds us captive here and forces us to get out and participate in the violent street theatre you guys just saw."

"Everyone calls him JB, even though that isn't even his real name," Nana continued somberly. "He's the Shadow King's right hand."

"Oui, he is, how do you say it in English..." Giselle said in an alluring French accent. "Ah... très méprisable."

"He's completely despicable." Layla clarified.

"He's really bad," Hazel pouted childishly as her shoulders slumped. "Sometimes he hits us when we don't do good enough..."

"And if he's not around, then he sends one of his henchmen to check up on us," Jungah said in a voice that cracked. "And they beat us up too."

Aera's anger seethed deep within her. "This is horrible!" she exclaimed with indignation.

Suddenly Hazel burst into tears. It was so out of the blue that everyone was caught off guard. She whimpered loudly, her whole body shaking.

"There, there," Layla rubbed her back soothingly as Aera watched the scene unfolding before her. She surveyed Hazel's form; she was very slim and petite and looked rather young, like she was in her teens. Her heart clenched, wondering how could a girl so young end up here. She was basically a child.

Layla caught Aera's stare. "Hazel is the youngest one of us," she explained quietly. "She's fifteen years old. She and her twin brother had no home and no family. They used to live off her brother's drug dealing business. But one day some other dealers that held a grudge towards her brother found her in a dark alley. They wanted to get back at him for stealing their clients and also send a message. So they beat her up. Apparently they got carried away... she didn't make it," Layla finished with a whisper.

Hazel lifted her thin blouse to reveal her flat stomach. There was a giant purple welt covering the milky white skin. She glanced down at it dejectedly.

"No matter how much time passes it still doesn't heal."

The other girls gathered around the whimpering Hazel. Giselle dropped to her knees and started wiping the youngest one's tears as Jungha placed a hand on her shoulder. Nana was the only one still sitting on the bunk bed, empty eyes staring at the wall sightlessly.

"Elle fled here from France," Layla went on narrating each of the girls' life stories. "She was quickly found by a man who owns dozens of strip clubs across town. He instantly liked her for her exotic looks and charisma and offered her to come work for him. She had no choice but to agree, not knowing that the establishment that hired her offers other services as well. She didn't even speak the language that well back then."

"One night, her boss sent her off to entertain a very wealthy businessman, while not informing her beforehand of what was expected of her. The client got very handsy and forward with his body to the point that she became uncomfortable. Things took a turn for the worse when he tried to rape her. She barely managed to escape and run away into the night, half-naked and battered with bruises... But then he caught up with her in his car and ran her over." Layla finished with a grim expression.

There was an agonizing pause that reigned the air as Layla removed her gaze from Giselle and directed it at Jungha who stared down at the floor.

"Jungha was fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family," Layla went on in a trembling voice. "She graduated from Harvard and Yale and pursued a career in law. She was thriving, slowly but steadily making a name for herself when her family pressured her into an arranged marriage. Her husband was a violent and greedy man. He was in it only for the money. Not only was he evil; he was also ruthless. So much that on their one-year anniversary, he pushed her from the balcony of the hotel room he had rented for them on the seventeenth floor."

Jungha stared down at her shoes wordlessly, her ebony bangs falling over her face.

Finally, Layla's gaze landed on Nana who stood as still as a statue. She shot her a questioning look.

"I can tell my own story," Nana said confidently. "Because I won't allow my past to haunt me."

She stood up lazily and stretched, the bones of her back cracking. She reached down into her pocket to pull out another cigarette and light it up.

"There's a reason why I'm the only one who feels comfortable living in this dark, stagnant concrete box," she started. "It's because I'm used to living like this. I've been a prisoner my whole life."

Inadvertently, Aera held her breath behind pursed lips. She felt Yoongi and Taehyung tense up on each of her sides, probably nervously anticipating Nana's life story just like Aera was.

"I don't know who my parents are. The only family relative I had was my grandmother. Ever since I can remember, we've lived in a small room just like this one guarded by tall armed men. We weren't allowed to go out anywhere. They would bring us three meals a day and water. For eighteen years, I hadn't talked to another person besides my grandmother. She would tell me stories about the outside world and I would listen in awe, wondering if I'd ever have the chance to see it."

"When I became of age where I started to question our way of life, I tried asking her why we were living like this. She didn't know. Apparently they kidnapped us both months after I was born. She told me there were bad people who wanted to hurt us but for now they were keeping us there and we should be grateful that we're alive."

"One day she told me I had an older brother. I was so shocked. She said she had been keeping this from me to protect me, but she was getting weaker day by day, so she didn't want to die without telling me. For the first time I felt like if I lost her I wouldn't be completely alone in this world. She even gave me a small envelope that she ordered me not to open before she was gone."

"She passed away two months later. I had never felt a pain so unbearable. The thought of my brother was the only thing keeping me together. Naturally, I opened the envelope and found out there was a picture of him inside. Just a picture. How was I supposed to find my brother only with a picture? I was devastated... But I would never let anything break me down. That night, I started mapping out a plan on how to escape."

"The guards came in the other day and put my grandmother's body in a bag and left. I heard them talking about how they were going to come back shortly and throw her away. An idea dawned up on me. I quickly removed my grandmother's body from the bag and tucked it in one of the beds, putting the sheets over her face. The guards barely paid any attention to me so I prayed they would just assume I had fallen asleep from excessive crying. I got into the bag and zipped it up. And then, I waited."

"It felt like a century had passed when they came back. Just as I expected, none of them even thought of checking the body again. They were certain it was my grandmother and not me. I remember how harshly they dragged me outside of whatever shitty hideout we were located in. Blood started pouring from my lips from biting on them so hard in order to stifle my whimpers. But I braced myself and somehow I handled all the tossing and kicking they inflicted on the bag while thinking there was a dead body inside. I was praying they would just leave me somewhere and not bury me or anything."

Nana scoffed a half-hearted smile, looking up at the ceiling.

"They didn't bury me," she went on darkly. "But instead, they threw me in the river."

"Oh my god." Aera gasped, shielding her mouth with her palm.

"Did you survive?" Yukwon asked in a small voice.

"Surprisingly I did," Nana replied. "But they must have figured it all out very soon, because they found me two hours later. I tried to run off into the woods, but their bullets reached me and, well... I died." She finished with a shrug of her shoulders. "And that's the story of my two hours of freedom."

There was a pause of thick silence as everybody was at a loss of words to comment on what they had heard.

"Nana, that photo you told us about..." Aera mumbled cautiously. "Do you still have it?"

Nana shuffled through the contents of her backpack before pulling out a folded photograph.

"I carry it everywhere with me."

"May I?" Aera asked.

Nana nodded, shifting her gaze to the floor as she handed her the small photo.

Aera took it from her carefully, flipping it over.

And her heart stopped. There he was, a young Jimin probably around the age of eight or nine years old. He was giving a toothless smile to the camera, his arm held up in an excited wave. She stared upon the old photograph, admiring the twinkle of laughter that sparkled in the crescent moons his eyes were formed in. A twinkle she missed dearly.

Aera chewed on her lower lip, throwing cowardly glances at both Taehyung and Yoongi. The subtle nod she gave them was enough to decipher that their suspicions had been true.

Nana was indeed Jimin's sister.

This instilled an uneasy feeling in Aera.

Bringing her gaze back to the photo, she let her fingers gently caress its edges. Oddly enough, she realized that it had been folded in two.

She turned it around in her hands and promptly unfolded it, revealing a hidden side of it she hadn't noticed. Her breathing quickened as her heart raced in her rib cage.

Wait.

Jimin wasn't the only one in that photo.

Aera's eyes frantically surveyed the photo, not believing what she was seeing. There, next to Jimin, was standing another boy, approximately the same age as him. No matter how old the photo was, it was impossible not to recognize the large dark abysses glistening with the sun rays and the adorable rectangle smile she had seen on so very few occasions but could never forget how beautiful it is.

Despite the smiling face, there was a twist of spite scintillating in those large innocent orbs, a glint she could never mistake in a million years, a kind of raw violence that would captivate you and make you cower in fear at the same time.

Aera's eyes darted around anxiously, she had absolutely no idea on what to say or what do to right now, how she should process that information and how to proceed.

"Tae," she said softly, turning around to the man who stood by the wall motionlessly, his tongue playing with the lip ring on his mouth. "You said you grew up in an orphanage, didn't you?"

The long, deep exhale she heard from Yoongi made her eyes snap into his direction. He caught her gaze and in that moment, Aera's mind went into overdrive. She may be flabbergasted, but she was by no chance stupid. In that moment, she grew fully aware of what was going on.

Yoongi knew.

Yoongi knew this whole time and never said anything.

He knew everything about everyone.

But she would deal with him later.

"Yeah," Taehyung confirmed absently. "What about it?"

"Jimin grew up in an orphanage, too," Aera continued, threading carefully around the subject.

"So?" Taehyung frowned, focusing completely on her now.

Silence fell upon the whole room as everyone was concentrated on the conversation.

Aera's head hung low as her gaze dropped on the photo again. She released a very long and troubled sigh and walked over to Taehyung.

"I think that's you on that photo," she mumbled quietly, handing him the old photograph.

He took it briskly, his frown becoming deeper and more prominent. She watched as his eyes enlarged and his mouth parted with a shuddering exhale. His fingers coiled around the photograph, an inadvertent gesture that was the only betrayer of how astonished he was.

Aera's breath caught in her throat as she observed the emotions flash through his face. Surprise, shock, abashment and then dread. He looked at her and then back at the piece of paper in his hands that were trembling now.

Then in one abrupt movement, he threw the photo away, spun on his heel and yanked the door open, storming off into the darkness.

"Tae, wait-"

Aera was jerked backwards swiftly by a cold hand gripping on her wrist.

"Don't." Yoongi warned deeply. "Don't go after him."

She grimaced, glaring at him. "Of course you'd say that!" she spat out, jerking her arm away from his iron grip.

"You're going to regret it." Yoongi simply cautioned in a deadly monotonous voice.

"Get off my back." Aera grumbled, promptly storming off after Taehyung. Yoongi didn't bother to follow her for which she was thankful.

She ran off into the shadows, her heart pounding in her ears. Nothing could be made out in the sinister tunnel, but she strained her ears to hear Taehyung's footsteps. She stumbled and fell, getting back on her feet hastily and wiping the mud from her clothes. This felt oddly familiar, like a deja-vu. It wasn't the first time she was running off after Taehyung when he was hurt, but this time there was something different.

This time, she felt like she would find out something she would wish she hadn't.

"Taehyung!" she croaked, but her voice seemed to die out as soon as it left her mouth.

She could hear his stomping footsteps, but he wouldn't answer her. Something told her she shouldn't leave him alone right now, but at the same time she had the sickening, overwhelming gut feeling that something horrible was coming their way.

"Taehyung, please stop walking!"

The heavy footsteps halted. Aera scrambled unsteadily towards him, clawing her way into a balanced stride as she gripped on the cold damp wall with one hand, extending the other one in front of her.

Soon enough her fingers came into contact with his shirt. He had stopped in his tracks but his back was still turned to her.

"Thank god I found you," Aera exhaled with relief, huddling over to catch her breath.

Taehyung lowered his head, his shoulders sinking down as if he carried the weight of the world on them.

"You had forgotten about it, hadn't you?" Aera asked in a cowardly whisper, watching as his shoulders rose and fell with his heavy breathing. "About you and Jimin being in the same orphanage."

"It was such a long time ago. I guess I just blocked it all out."

"Did something happen back then?"

He tilted his head upwards and aspirated a shaky breath.

His mind was currently a surging perplexity, a storm impossible to keep at bay. Flashbacks replayed over and over again like a fast-paced video montage as his heart dropped in his shoes. It was all coming back to him now, the memories he had been avoiding all this time, the ones he was trying to shove away from his mind but never succeeded. The ache, the hurt and the woes seeped through his bones once again.

[ flashback ]

The woman extended one arm as her fingers gripped around Taehyung's small hand. For some reason her face was blurry, the only thing he could focus on was how brightly red her lipstick was.

"Let's go and play, Taehyungie." She smiled softly.

The boy's insides shrunk as his gaze dropped to the tips of his shoes.

"N-no, I don't... I don't wanna."

"You don't want to see Jiminie again?"

Taehyung's eyes filled with tears instantly as he shifted his gaze to the woman smiling softly down at him.

"Is Jiminie ever going to be back?"

"I'm gonna bring him back to you if you do what I say." she said, a sharp edge to her voice that contrasted deeply with the softness of her features.

"But I don't want to." Taehyung whimpered. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Shhh," the woman dropped to her knees and hushed him. "Let noona make Taehyungie feel good."

The boy blanched, fear instilled in his large doe eyes as his lower lip trembled.

"It's our little secret, right Taetae?" she whispered. "No one can know."

"Y-yes."

"It's not wrong if it's making you feel good."

"O-okay."

"Come on now, be a good boy and take your pants off for me. And maybe I'll let you see Jiminie afterwards."

"... Okay, noona."

[ end of flashback ]

The memories came back to hurt him again as he recollected how his innocence was taken away from him way too soon. How he let this woman he thought to be his protector, his caregiver at the orphanage do all these disgusting things to him, a boy that was way too young for this.

It all started when Jimin was suddenly taken away from the orphanage, leaving Taehyung all alone to deal with the harsh reality. One of the female workers there took this to her advantage, manipulating Taehyung to give her what she wanted as she promised him she'd reunite him with his best friend...

It never happened.

He was just a little boy.

How could he consent?

But she touched him anyways. Many times. Until he eventually realized how wrong and inappropriate it was and ran away.

Taehyung's disregard for women and their feelings stemmed from this one horrible experience from his childhood. Soon enough, he would start treating them as depreciatingly and indifferently as he thought they deserved to be treated. He wanted to take away the power of the painful memory to hurt, to prove to himself that he had moved on. Childishly, he blamed Jimin for leaving and abandoning him in that hellhole all alone. His grudge towards the blond man was rooted deep in their childhoods, even without them realizing it.

If he hadn't left this would never have happened to me.

"What happened there?" came Aera's quiet voice, drawing him back to reality.

His fingers clutched into fists.

"Tae... you can tell me."

No one ever cared about it.

A small breathy whimper from her was all it took to burst Taehyung's walls of restraint. His shoulders dropped and he turned. Aera regarded him with heavy eyes, heartache swirling in her brown hues.

"I can't talk about this." He mumbled, concealing his eyes with his palms. In this moment, he resembled a shell of himself. The muscles of his chin trembled like those of a small child and right here and now, he reverted back to the same hurting boy from so many years ago.

It was the first time Aera would witness him so sad, so broken. Taehyung was always tough, always cynical and sarcastic, never weak and sentimental. She had never seen him show pain or sorrow, the most intense emotion she had seen his face hold was anger. But right now he was different, a complete opposite to the person she thought she knew.

Her heart sank and she found it hard to believe that was the same Taehyung that would previously regard her with mocking amusement, that would often make fun of other people and close off to anyone who dared to try and walk past this high concrete wall he had built around his heart.

It could not be more obvious for her in that moment that someone had hurt him, that he had suffered something tremendously traumatizing and life-altering for him to be so scarred. She had always known there was a reason behind Taehyung's cold and reserved nature, a nature that had recently started to crack a little. He was finally showing a bit of his softer, kinder side, a side he kept only for a few chosen people.

"I am so sorry." Aera rasped. Her voice was like a tremor, fumbling out as if she didn't know how to speak properly.

She could not think of anything else to say or do except that she was sorry. Because that's what she was; sorry. She could not take the blame or the responsibility for what had happened to him, she didn't even care to know the details of what it had been. All she knew was that the scared boy standing there before her with quivering eyes was someone who desperately needed help, comfort, just any kind of human warmth and affection. It was almost like his Power had chosen him on purpose, it was like the sole thing he craved the most, the thing he needed had been taken away from him: human touch.

It was cruel.

Little did she know, human touch was also the one thing that had fucked him up like that.

A sob he tried to stifle erupted through Taehyung's mouth. It was unlike any other thing Aera had seen and it hurt more than hearing him yell or scream. The sound pierced her and haunted her, making her head spin. Taehyung was crying and there was nothing she could do about it.

"I'm sorry." She whispered again, wobbling over to him. Her knees barely held her as if they were made of jelly.

Taehyung sniffled loudly, his face frozen in painful horror. He was utterly distraught. His chin touched his chest as he lowered his face, hiding it from her despite the dull darkness engulfing them.

"I'm sorry you had to go through something like this."

Again, she had no idea what had happened to him, but she didn't need to know. Because she understood.

Uncertain of what to do, Aera reached out and placed a hand over his shoulder where she rubbed slightly. For a while Taehyung was unmoving, only his chest heaved up and down with his ragged breathing. Suddenly he grabbed her outstretched hand and pulled her in for a hug.

Taken aback, she gasped softly as her fingers tugged at the fabric of his shirt. She realized she was fighting back tears as he held her, the only thing he needed right now was this.

"I don't know what happened to you to upset you this much," she mumbled close to his ear. "I don't need to know and you don't need to tell me. Just know that as long as I'm around you, I will never let anything bad happen to you ever again."

Taehyung didn't say anything but instead tightened his grip around her body. She felt weak and helpless for not being able to help him in some way. She wished she could travel back in time and make things right, but she knew she couldn't do that. No one could do that.

At the same time, her fury rose like a storm at sea deep within her. She was deeply hurt and angered at whoever caused so much pain to Taehyung and made him the way he was today.

"Okay?" she asked in what she wished was a light tone. She felt him nod slightly, his hand gliding down her soft short hair.

He exhaled heavily and sniffled again before drawing back and letting go of her. He straightened up his shirt and cleared his throat in an attempt to cover up how upset he still was.

Now, things felt a little bit awkward. He was visibly uncomfortable to have shown such weakness and Aera desperately searched her mind for ways to make this discomfort go away.

"Do you remember Jimin now?" she asked, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

Taehyung ruffled his bangs and shoved one hand in the pocket of his jeans.

"It all came back to me now."

"Did you... I mean, uh. I suppose you didn't know who he really until now?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't recognize him. I feel like he's changed a lot... I feel like we both have. My time in the orphanage after he left was a very painful period of my life, Aera. It's something I keep wanting to forget and avoid thinking about. I guess I've been running away from that thought for so long that eventually I've ended up burying it somewhere deep, deep inside my subconscious."

"Like a coping mechanism."

"Exactly. When we met, he instantly reminded me of someone I used to know many years ago but remembered very vaguely... I guess subconsciously I held him accountable for my hardships. Perhaps I even hated him."

She gulped at the sincerity lingering in his voice. "That's understandable."

There was a pause of silence as Taehyung turned his face away.

"I'm sorry for going after you like that." Aera nibbled on her lower lip. "I realize now it may have come across as nosy."

"No," he shook his head. "No, this was exactly what I needed. I have never talked to anybody about this. This is the first time I'm doing this."

A soft glow warmed up Aera's heart inside.

"I've been really difficult lately so I realize it may not have been easy to deal with me."

"Aera, if you're difficult to deal with, then what can I say about me? I'm a fucking wreck."

She scoffed a small laugh.

"So," Taehyung ran a hand through his face. "Guess that dove chick is really Jimin's sister, huh?"

"It seems like it. I always thought she had passed... it's what Jimin had always told me."

"Apparently he didn't know about it either."

"But who could have kept Nana and her grandmother captives for so long?" Aera wondered out loud. "And more importantly, why?"

"No idea," Taehyung scratched his neck. "The Shadow King? This dude seems to be the root of all problems these days."

Aera hummed, sinking in deep thought. If what she had understood about Abaddon was true, then apparently everyone there had once been living on the other side of this world, probably leading a normal everyday life like the rest of them.

This Shadow King, had he always been such an asshole? How could he let these girls back there in that room live like this and even encourage it? Did he have no common sense whatsoever, no decency, no mercy? Back on Earth, wouldn't he have had a family of his own? Children? A daughter, maybe?

Surely no father would be happy knowing his daughter was living this way.

"I wonder if we could bring her with us back to Earth," Aera thought out loud. "If the Shadow King ever allows us to leave, that is. I just know that Jimin would love to meet her... he would be so happy to know he has a living sibling."

"Perhaps." Taehyung muttered.

"And Layla, too..." Aera mumbled. "We can't leave them here like this. As a matter of fact, we can't leave any of those girls here, at least not when they're living this way."

"Don't forget about Yukwon, too."

Her tongue swept across her lower lip. "Yukwon seems to feel pretty comfortable around here. It's weird, but he's found a way to adapt."

"He's not comfortable at all," Taehyung countered darkly. "I heard him crying in the bathroom this morning. He's lonely and he's hurting. He's just too damn good at covering it up and acting as if everything's alright."

Aera regarded him with confused interest. She never thought Taehyung to be so profoundly observant. What else was he hiding behind this thin veil of nonchalant indifference?

"I guess I never realized that, but you're right." She said. "I should have paid more attention."

Taehyung took the opportunity to stare at her in hidden interest and curiosity while she was looking away. This was very weird, he could have sworn that this was the real Aera standing before him now. She wasn't begging him to kiss her, she was just offering him comfort a couple minutes ago and oddly enough, she was making sense.

What kind of twisted mind game was her alter-ego playing, was it trying to trick him into thinking she had reverted to her true self, or was he merely catching a glimpse of the real Aera that had come back for some reason?

Did Nana, the living breathing reminder of Jimin's existence, bring the old Aera back briefly?

"Anyway, maybe we should go back before they start looking for us."

"You're right. Hey, Taehyung?" Aera asked. "Did you notice that Yoongi wasn't exactly, uh... surprised by Nana's story?"

A darkness cast over Taehyung's face. "Yeah I did. I'm not surprised by that actually."

"I think he knew."

"He most definitely did."

"What else is there that he knows?"

"No idea, but I'll be watching him very closely from now on."

Aera couldn't suppress the smirk that crept on her lips. In this moment, Taehyung terribly reminded her of Jimin.

"Taehyung, about-" she started, having the intense gut feeling that there was something she had to apologize for, but the memory was coated by blurry haziness.

"No. Don't say anything."

"But I have to."

"I don't need to hear it, Aera," he groaned. "I know you love Jimin and that will never change. But there's plenty of space for more than one person in the human heart. It doesn't diminish the love that's already there."

"Oh." She seemed lost as to why he was telling her this, but decided not to ask further questions. Entering in sentimentality with Taehyung was an unknown territory and she had no idea what exploring it would bring their way.

"Let's go back." He murmured, taking her by the hand and dragging her back to the others. There was an odd intensity in the way he was holding her, as if he felt undeserving of her.

"Okay."

***

JB rested both of his hands on the silver handle of his ornamented walking stick. Precious gems were sparkling on it as it was formed in the shape of an eagle.

A smirk painted over his lips as his eyes wandered the shadowy figure before him.

"Yes, my King," he said deeply, bowing his head slightly in a submissive manner. "No matter what, I will bring Lee Aera to you. You will have her."

author's note:

Such a lengthy chapter! 🤯 Sorry for it being so dark!

I want to take this opportunity to say something. 👀

Thank you for sticking with me throughout this journey. I'm well aware that writing a book is tremendous work, but writing a sequel to that book is even harder. I'm constantly afraid of being a disappointment. So far I've had a lot of fun writing this, but I know that sequels often don't live up to first books. So seeing and feeling  your support on this book means twice as much as to any other book of mine. ❤❤❤  I will never get tired of saying this!

Thank you guys for being patient with me and this story ❤ I love you all so much! I say this a lot, but truly I do! Thank you for supporting this crazy story, you're the real MVPs 💕🥰