"Your highness. Your majesty! The most high! The legend - Ow!"

"You're overdoing it dude."

"It's not everyday we get to meet the great king of our ancestors!"

Jeongguk looks between the two young teenagers, specifically to one who's looking at Jimin as though he was going to solve world peace - to which is possible.

They're probably the youngest recruits here in this base camp, and clearly their childlike essence is still vivid in this dark place. This is probably something they never expected to be alive for, so it's a big thing for everyone here.

Right now they're in the head shack. The leader is currently in a meeting with Taemin and the other leaders of the camp to discuss their missions, meanwhile Jimin and the duo waited in the next room for their discussion. The soldier teenagers were sent here just to keep watch on them, but it seems more like a fan signing than security.

Taehyung would look at them from time to time, and only frown as he thought of his fallen soldier.

He would've fitted in with them well.

"So like, how was it like being imprisoned underwater?" Hwanwoong, one of the guards, asks him, his eyes glittering, "Did you suffocate with the water? Did you have air to breathe?"

Jimin softly smiles to the young boy's curiosity, and he places a foot on a chair, leaning on his knee with his elbow, "I wasn't imprisoned. I was being protected."

"Woah!" Hwanwoong beams, glancing excited to his comrade - Soobin - before stepping closer to Jimin, "So was it like -"

The young kid was suddenly pushed back with Taehyung standing beside Jimin, forcing space with a low territorial growl.

Jimin follows Taehyung with his eyes and a small smirk, before glancing to Jeongguk and sends him a look. Jeongguk shrugs with a chuckle.

Not like he can stop him.

Since Taemin's appearance, Taehyung has been quite territorial over Jimin. Probably has to do because they mated before already, so there's this sentimentality between them, despite them fighting ever so often. Or because he doesn't trust anyone around the three.

Comes to show that no matter how much under their skin they get with each other, when the time comes, they're each others shield.

Taehyung doesn't trust anyone, and Jimin's heart is too hopeful. Meanwhile, Jeongguk just observes. He goes with the tides and watches. Every second is an opportunity to know more information, but he's lucky to have Taehyung around for this.

If something happens, he'll be there.

Hwanwoong scrambles back, but did a noise back to him, far too similar to a defensless kitten trying to be a tiger.

What..... Was that?

Taehyung's face was priceless to such pitiful noise. Jeongguk had to cover his mouth to hold back his laughter. Even Jimin tried to bite back a smile, ruffling with the kid's hair in adoration.

"You still have much to learn young one."

Hwanwoong practically purrs to the attention, up until the chief suddenly emerges from the doors. Everyone stood up right and saluted, except for the trio. 

Taehyung and Jeongguk won't salut to anyone who's not Jimin in this moment in time.

The chief approaches the table at the center, and Taemin trailed around the table and stood beside Jimin with hands to his back. Jimin eyed him, especially his stiff posture, before focusing on the chief.

The man with the heavy eyes looks at Jimin, hands pressed on the table, "We are at your service. You and your pack-" He barely glances at Taehyung momentarily, "-Are free to stay here, but you must follow our regulations. As of now, you are open to asking questions."

Jimin glances at Jeongguk. The two have discussed this before, and they agreed that Jeongguk would be the one to do the asking. He's an expert in the modern world and can understand these concepts easier, to which can be explained simpler back.

Besides, he's more emotionally tamed.

Jimin and Taehyung? Not so much to something that can piss them off.

Jeongguk steps forward to the other side of the table, "First things first, how is it possible that you are alive considering that the phantoms has annihilated your people?"

The chief crosses his arms over his chest, nodding to the question, "That may be true. However, during their capture, many of the tribe members were frozen in capsules as an experimentation to see how the people are in freezing temperatures, especially the younger ones. Once the phantoms were wiped out by the flood, our ancestors were released by the remaining lab rats that were still alive in their cubicles. They co-existed together, and that's how they still remained. However, everyone here are pure bloods. We are not a mix."

Jeongguk and Jimin made eye contact, which answered a lot of their questions.

Jeongguk must be a half breed, which is while he lived his entire life not knowing.

Since his abilities had to be triggered by someone of the same abilities.

"Okay, then why are you guys working with the poachers?"

The chief looks down to his attire and then back to Jeongguk, his eyes heavy, "This was our land before the phantoms. We do not welcome new comers, whether they come in peace or not. This world was safe before anyone else showed up, and we will maintain it that way."

"But not all are bad," Jeongguk defends, "Just like you could coexist with the humans, as well as with the newcomers."

"We are still trying to manage the situation with the lab rats," The chief growls back, "They have made this world dark with their greed and evil desires to which had latches onto the new comers. The difference is that the new comers aren't ordinary as the lab rats. We are only restoring our sworn duty for our people," And then he looks at Jimin, his stare firm, "You know this better than anyone."

Jimin lips pursed and he looks away, mainly because he knows they're right.

Their people's roles were to protect all natural things from this world. To keep a balance with the Earth and all living.

Peace and protection has been out of the equation for a while now, so it seems.

Jeongguk's face remains stern, "What you are doing is wrong."

"We've been silent long enough. Without control, our planet will get wiped out again for being too weak," He snarls back, "You're a labrat. You have no voice when it comes to speaking for the people!"

"He has our blood in his veins," Jimin huffs back, the growl deep in his chest, "And I say his voice is heard. Watch your words chief."

The chief purses his lips to the scold and looks to Jeongguk, "You may have our blood, but you will never belong to the pure bloods. You are part of their world. We only look after each other. Our duty to protect our world. That is our job, and no one is going to change that. You can either stand with us, or go back with the lab coats and stay out of our way."

And with that the Chief dismissed the meeting and walks out of the shack. Jimin kept a hard look to the chief before glancing to Jeongguk - who's heaving hard with his hands balled to a fist on his side.

He's mad.

Far from angry, he's pissed.

Taehyung placed a hand on his shoulder, frowning, "Sir, easy-"

"How dare they speak in such a way about the humans!" Jeongguk exploded, his eyes burning red, "We may not have been created naturally, but we are all not monsters! And the newcomers - you aren't evil! Most of the people I've met aren't evil! How dare they!"

Taehyung hisses as he retreats his hand back, looking down to the red burn mark, but Jeongguk's fiery eyes are too blazed to have noticed it.

Jimin noticed this but he remained silent, and Jeongguk whirls his attention onto him, "Can you believe this?! How do they expect us to fight along side them!?! They murder newcomers and who knows, maybe even humans - why aren't you saying anything?!"

Slowly Jimin fixated his eyes to Jeongguk and he stared at him with a heavy gaze, and then he nods back to him, "Right...."

"You..... You can't possibly agree with them in this Jimin?!?"

Jimin is silent once again before he suddenly grunts and stands upright, "I don't know okay. They are my people. We do have a duty to protect our world, it's engraved in our blood and.... From what I've seen, the world is too dark because we held back."

"From what you saw at the arena that they were in charge of?! Your so called people?! To have species kill each other - YEOSANG SUFFERED IN THAT PLACE FOR YEARS BECAUSE OF THEM! AND LOOK AT HIM! HE'S DEAD!"

Jeongguk is losing his cool, and even Taehyung's presence can't help him calm down now.

Jimin closes his eyes for a moment and drops his head, "You don't understand how much this all means to me. I finally have them back! My brother. My people. Everything I thought I lost. They are my family-"

Jeongguk shoves his shoulder, forcing Jimin's head up with a hand under his chin to forcefully make him look, "No," He growls back with a heavy snarl, "I am your family. Taehyung's your family. We are your pack. Me, someone who's very human, and Taehyung, a species from a different planet," And he lets him go, "Look, once Hoseok finds us, we'll figure out on what to do, but we all must stick together. Do you understand me Jimin?"

Jimin gulps slowly, feeling his heart weigh heavy in his chest and detached before he removes his face from Jeongguk's hand, not looking at his face, "Yes sir."

Jeongguk looks at him and huffs, walking away.

Taehyung looks over to where Jeongguk walked off and goes after him, but not before turning his head back to Jewel.

"I stand with you on whatever you decide. Like soldier, I understand your perspective and of people. But, loyalty will always lie with Jeongguk. So, if the occurrence comes down to it, I will not hesitate to kill to protect my mate."

Jewel looks at him, frowning heavily, "I am your mate too."

"I know. I said what I said," And with that, Taehyung also out of the shack to look for his partner.

_____________________
A/N:
Well...... That was intense....

Thought?

Thank you so much for reading!

I purple you! <3