A million times over, I will always choose you.

■•●•■

"Get the hell out of our faces," Taehyung grits his teeth in annoyance as he forces me to get behind him.

Many footsteps follow the voice as Taehyung's grip on my wrist tightens to the extent I think it can break off any moment. But I can't say it to Taehyung that he is hurting me.

And more than that I really want to see who is the person. So curiosity indeed gets the best of me as I peak a little from Taheyung's shoulder.

Slake and his men.

But how is he here? Why is he here?

"Gosh your friends got trapped inside that cage. Poor thing," He says with his teeth shining under sunlight, the yellow tint visible on them. Disgusting.

"Why are you here?" Taehyung asks with his voice as hard as it ever can be. The hatred is clearly visible in his voice when he continuously grips and releases my wrist.

"Isn't it obvious that I didn't want to face the problems that you all did in the path?" He says as if he is stating the matter of fact. "We are following you all, ever since you went to that old lady."

"That small boy was so innocent," He traces the tip of his sword like he is remembering something and that is the second his thoughts enters my brain.

"No.." I mumble when the scenes flashes inside my brain. Taehyung hears it as his back muscles shifts so fast as he is barely able to control his self from doing anything harsh.

But I am more agitated. Feeling the adrenaline rush in my body, I try controlling my breathe.

"You killed him!" I scream at the top of my lungs that the voice just comes out as a squeak. But my throat feels like it produced a sound that it never did in his whole work time.

I can't control my body as I try taking a huge step towards him but Taehyung traps my trembling self from my back.

"Now's not the time."

"But you know what he did."

"I know. And he surely will pay for that."

The boy was innocent.

That kid was too innocent to get treated in this way. He didn't deserve any of this. How can they even do such things to him?

Don't they have some freaking conscience in themselves?

I can even picture the boy's scared and vulnerable face and just thinking about it makes my blood boil and makes me want to bawl my eyes out as well.

"Oh! Nice meeting you dear. Well, indeed. Why will the male and female lead die just how it happens in dramas right," Slake acts with his tone slightly changing to a higher pitch, making it sound as he is shocked. I rather want to rip his larynx apart.

"We are doing exactly what you told us to so why bother coming here?" Taehyung asks. "To ensure if you kids are doing all the things correctly and I'm proud to say you are. Just.." He bends to his side and glances at our friends that are trapped in the cage. "They have failed to prove it."

"Rather keep your mouth shut, Slake," Hoseok growls out of nowhere.

Not now Hoseok.

But Slake laughs to the latter's comment. Putting his sword inside the cover, he glares at the boy. "You still won't keep your mouth shut even while being locked up in that cage. Want me to help you?"

"Don't you dare to even go near them," I snarl. To this he laughs even more loudly. "And you think you're gonna stop me? A weakling like you?" He wipes the tears from the tip of his eyes and dramatically taps one of his man's shoulder.

"Try me," I smirk while taking a step towards him.

"No. And nothings going to happen like that. Keep her out of this," Taehyung pushes me at a side and glares at me.

"I don't mind but I want the stone as soon as possible. And the key to the stone is her," He says while pointing towards me. I raise my eyebrow at his remark. "Me?"

"Yes, you. And you need to figure it out soon otherwise.." A loud sound is produced of two hard things colliding with each other. As I look back towards my friends, my eyes widens.

Slake's men are all around the cage and points the swords towards them.

How come neither me nor Taehyung noticed that happening? How did they go there?

My answers are soon answered by the devil himself.

"Don't think I don't know about this place. I've tried finding the stone a number of times but sadly, failed. But she is the key to find that stone and I'm going to get it soon enough."

"I don't know how to," I confess, again. I feel like I am prisoner who is being accused of something I've never done and even thought about it before.

"You know when everything goes wrong, girl," Eunbi's loud screams breaks the tense environment around us as I try looking back but another man of his's comes between my view.

"But what is the use of that stone? Why do you want that so dearly?" I scream, trying my best to ignore her screams and focus on our conversation. "You don't really need to know though but well you asked, listen."

"The almighty made it himself. It has the power to do anything and whoever has that stone, any of his or her wishes are fulfilled and he or she is stronger than any other human on the Earth."

"So, don't think you've plenty of time. Because your time starts now."

■•●•■

"I don't know. I don't know how am I the key to find that stone, Taehyung," I sniffle. Taehyung looks rather calm in a situation like this. He keeps on looking towards our caged friends as each one of them looks at us with a tint of hope in their eyes.

"You searched every single room?" He asks while sparing a glance towards me. I nod almost immediately and look down at the drop which is formed on the ground beneath me because if my tears.

He sighs and closes his eyes. "First of all stop crying. I can't see you crying like this and second you did see something. Remember."

His tone changes. But I can't care much because I know and it hurts him to see everyone on the verge of dying if we, or me delays anymore.

What did I see?

Stack of stones. Checked.

Rooms. Checked.

It can't be that anaconda room right?

It can be that. But how come? The last time I went there I received those two bite hol-

Where are those bite holes?

I look at my palm and rub the skin that is now back to normal. I keep on rubbing it till it turns red but the holes don't appear.

How come they healed so soon? I don't have a quick healing rate and it won't just disappear right?

Everything's a mess.

I'm a mess.

My brain is a mess.

"Calm down, calm down," His hands grips my arms as I continue rubbing my palm.

Where are those damned holes?

"Pepper don't panic. Please," He sounds so vulnerable that makes me stop my actions right then and there but my anxiety is taking me somewhere else.

"I- I need to g- go," I spill out the words as I back away from Taehyung. I know it is hurting him when he sees me kind of hurting myself but I shouldn't tell him about what I am going to do right now.

I don't want to give him a false hope and then smash everything.

But I do give him a long tight hug. May be that is my way to show my love and concern towards him. And may be that can also be my last moment with him.

I'm sorry, Tae.

I love you.

"Don't follow me."

With that I dash out of the room before he can ask me anything, leaving him all alone in that room.

My friends are still there in the cage with those men surrounding them.

Slake is dead as he is sleeping on the floor.

Shut up, think Pepper.

The last time when I touched that anaconda, I got those two holes just like a snake's bite.

But how can a structure bite me?

It indeed is a unique one when I saw its eyes sparkling with those colours.

And then I blacked out.

Why did I black out? Because of those holes?

Then how come am I alive if those were bite holes?

May be all of those questions will be answered if I'll go back into that room.

May be that's the room where everything will be solved.

I don't care if I die after over exploiting my own body but at least I'll save others.

Or I hope so.

■•●•■

Once I arrive in the room, the déjà vu hits me like a truck. The same foul smell and surroundings that are too untidy to even clean.

And the next second my eyes spots the anaconda structure and yeah, it is also there.

With his eyes glowing white again.

"Pepper! Where are you at?"

I glance back towards the entrance of the room as I see Taehyung running around, looking for me at a distance. He is far enough for me so I can rethink again and then do things according to it.

But there is nothing to think about now. All I have to do is touch that anaconda again.

But why am I feeling so scared? I can feel my heart beating in my ears as I take deep breathes to control it.

It's okay Pepper, you gotta do this.

Because there's no other option.

I raise my hand as slowly as I can, I can feel every second ticking by when I sigh and look at my palm.

As plain as ever. Not even a single sign of hole.

May be it is my imagination before blacking out? But I don't think so..

Do it now.

I slowly proceed my hand towards the structure and once it is on the same level with the anaconda's eyes, two strong red beam emits from his eyes and forms a triangular beamed connection with my hand.

What is happening?

The aura the beam gives, I am scared as well as amused. The beam is so intense that the whole room feels blank while just staring at it.

And then I proceed to place my hand on its head.

One, two and.. three.

There. There I place my hand on his head and then a loud snap startles me to which I back my hand away.

Now facing the front of my hand, two holes are now clearly seen on my palm and blood oozes out of the puncture.

I hiss while lightly touching the area around the holes as it hurts.

Hurts a lot than before.

"Pepper!" Taehyung's voice emerges as I turn around but the movement leads to the whole world spin before my eyes.

"Taehyung.." I whisper as I see how Taehyung takes long steps and catches my falling form in his embrace.

"What happened to you?" The urgency in his voice, his face shows worry and panic. I smile at him with all of my strength left.

"Wh-" But he stops when he sees the two holes in my hand.

His eyes widens when he realises that they are bleeding. A string of curses comes out of his mouth which causes my almost on the verge of fainting self to freeze.

"What did you do," He mumbles that in such a dangerously low pitch but soon as I open my mouth, I feel myself losing control and as I collapse.

■•●•■

Taehyung

"Pepper? Pepper!"

What the hell is happening? When did my life take such a twist where everything feels so imaginary.

Where did my normal routine go? Why are we stuck like this? And most importantly why is Pepper's hand bleeding from those two holes that looks like a snake's bite?

But my brain almost bursts off my skull when I see the anaconda type structure moving in its position. The red light blinks so fast as if it is processing something as my eyes can't go back to their normal size till it stops.

The loud screams pierces my ear drums from downstairs as I glance down from the 1st floor.

And I just can't believe my eyes when I do.

The cage collapsed, causing the bones to break off from the middle. Some of them even falls over Slake's men, suffocating them because of their weight.

May be some of them died too.

But when my hands starts feeling numb, I realise my girl long gone into a state of unconsciousness. Her hand is still bleeding rapidly when I examine it carefully.

Two bite holes with blood oozing out of them.

What did she even do? It can even kill her but she still did that. She placed her life in danger to save everyone?

She did. My inner self tells me as my whole body freezes from the sudden realisation.

"Pepper, if you die on me then I am going to kill you."