"You can let go of me now," Jeongguk muttered, clearly annoyed. Taehyung slowly opened his eyes and looked around. They were in yet another forest but it was morning and everything looked more saturated than anything on Earth. Taehyung finally let go of Jeongguk, who he had clutched onto like a koala.

When his feet it the ground, he felt weird, a little shaken up almost. "Woah," the older sounded, lips now unfrozen, regaining his balance. "Where are we?"

"The Kolikor forest, if I'm correct. Something must've gone wrong with the portal, but we're not too far. We'll have to walk a bit, there should be a teleporter a kilometre North from here," Jeongguk said, pulling out things from his pocket. Taehyung continued to take in his surroundings, too distracted to see Jeongguk changing his outfit until the bright flash. "Oh my god."

Jeongguk was now suited with a black cape that went to his ankles, black flowing pants, and sheer black top under metallic armour, suited up with a belt filled with what seemed to be potions and a chain of mini charms. Not to mention the ears.

"How did you..." Taehyung still remained shocked. Jeongguk looked up from adjusting his belt, and only then was the older met with the most gorgeous blue eyes. "Your eyes. A-And you ears! They're pointy!"

"Hmm? Yours are too–" Jeongguk started, but before he could continue, Taehyung's hand sprung of to his ears to feel them, and then be disappointed when they still felt dull. The younger rolled his eyes. "They're hidden, and no spell or potion I have will reveal them. We need to get to the palace."

Taehyung nodded, still bummed he wasn't getting an outfit (and ear) change like the other. It would've made the dream a lot better in his opinion. As if Jeongguk read his mind, he grabbed his chain of charms and plucked one that looked like a lego cape. He closed his eyes and squeezed it, and suddenly, the charm flowed and enlarged. "Here," he said, throwing the garment.

The older caught it and examined the piece. It was a very soft velvet, felt so real, and seemed to be more fabric than the one Jeongguk had on. He unfolded it and and put it around him. Unlike Jeongguk, which grazed over his shoulder and covered his back, the one Taehyung wore covered his entire body except for his head.

"Put up the hood when we're in the village. Make sure no one sees your face."

Taehyung nodded, and Jeongguk immediately began walking, to which the older scrambled to follow.

"Y'know, for a dream, this is tiring," Taehyung said, already panting and feeling his muscle ache.

"We've been walking for ten minutes," Jeongguk replied, rolling his eyes. He really needed to fit up the prince first. "And it's not a dream."

"Mhm, that's what they all say."

"Who?"

"The people in my dreams."

"God I really hope you're not the prince and this is all a mistake."

"Hey, don't be rude! To think I was gonna try and find you once I wake up, hmph."

They continued walking until they reached a pod that resembled one of a telephone booth.

"Green teleporters can be used by everyone, if they're red then you can't because someone is currently being transported to or from there. The ones that are purple, like this, can only be used in case of emergency or by the royal family and it's associates," Jeongguk explained. He scanned his fingerprint before typing a few words on the pad outside, and quickly the door to the teleporter opened. "After you."

Taehyung entered carefully and Jeongguk right after. The door closed on its own before a large flash blinded Taehyung for he had not be warned to close his eyes. He felt light, like when they jumped through that portal, and in the blink of an eye, the door opened to reveal a busy street. The street was definitely no New York. It reminded Taehyung of the illustration from picture books of the world during the medieval times, except there was random things floating in the air and everyone wore clothes like Jeongguk (without the armour). The roads made of cobblestone and the stores of wood, not a vehicle in sight as everyone was on foot.

"The hood," Jeongguk hissed, pulling up the cover for him. The last thing he needed was for someone to recognize that he wasn't from around here. "We need to walk a bit more, there's a hidden teleporter that'll get us directly inside the palace."

"So what makes me different from a human, other than the ears of course. I'm no Elsa like you," Taehyung began.

"Elsa?"

"She's a Disney princess. Has wicked ice powers and needs no man to save her."

"I'm not a female, nor am I royalty. What's Disney?"

Taehyung stared back at the other, mouth wide. What a sad world this is.

"Must be a human thing. Anyways, to answer your question, elves are much stronger physically than humans."

"Hmm, that explains a lot actually. Damn, I knew something was wrong when I was able to lift those weights while being a couch potato!"

Jeongguk eyed him suspiciously, before shaking it off and continuing. "Well, here, you're no stronger than the next elf, so I suggest you start working out. And what I presume you mean my powers, we inherit them from our parents, and in my case, my father. You only inherit one parent's power, but sometimes properties of the other parents power can play a role in the offsprings."

Taehyung nodded. "So your dad has ice powers."

"He's a water elf, my mother's an air elf."

"Damn, is it like the avatar out in here?"

Jeongguk shot him another confusing look. Taehyung realized human world entertainment clearly must not be available here, so he should stop mentioning it.

"Never mind. So what other kind of powers are there?"

"Well there's four kinds, water, fire, air, and earth. Those have their sub-categories like ice, wind, rain, heat, etcetera. Although I have the ability to create and manipulate ice, I'm considered a water elf. The four have their own spells, air spells can only be done by air elves. There's also the common spell books that can be casted by anyone."

Jeongguk pauses to take of a charm that looked like a book and enlarge it. He passed it to Taehyung to look through.

"How powerful your power is can completely vary. Our local gardener has the ability to create any flower from the soil of his choice. This particular power may not be useful in combat because he doesn't have the ability to manipulate it's stem for example, but perfect for the royal garden. People here try to make off a living using their power if they can."

"What if someone is really powerful? Wouldn't that be dangerous?" the older asked, returning the book.

"Well in all honesty, elves don't have that much power. A typical fire elf can throw balls of fire but the harm that'd cause the other is quite small, unless done repeatedly, well-mastered or using an extreme enhancing potion, which is prohibited."

"There are rules?"

Jeongguk nodded. " You cannot harm another using what we like to call our gift, with the exception of self-defence to certain degrees of course. Even the spell books have limitation. Dark and dangerous spells have been erased and marked as illegal."

Taehyung once again nodded, actually being able to understand all of it. Usually his dreams make no sense at all. "So what's my gift?"

"See, that what made the royal family the royal family. Your blood line's power is unique. You're none of the four. You're family can cast a spell from any spell books, and although the powers looks nothing like the one associated with the spell, it make just as much of an impact. Your power, it's just so strong. Protecting our land from all harms."

"What do you mean?"

"Your family has been able to knock down enemies with the flick of a finger. Although the power is invisible, unlike my ice, the effect of it is just mind blowing."

Taehyung looked down at his hands. "You're saying I can do that?"

"I sure hope so. Ah, we're here."

The two stopped in front of a store, "Spellbooks and More". Jeongguk walked through the side into the gap between it and the next store then stopped somewhere in the middle. Taehyung watched as he searched through his charms and retrieved what looked like a key once enlarged. The bow of the key resembled the pattern on Taehyung's necklace. Jeongguk inserted the key into the wall and twisted it, making the walls separate and reveal another teleporter, but this time yellow.

"Now to test out if you're actually the prince," Jeongguk said, shrinking and placing the key back. "I've been granted the permission to use these, but anyone else without permission must be from the royal blood."

"What if I'm not?"

"Then you die."

"What?!"

Jeongguk laughed, but stopped when he realized who he was speaking to. "Sorry. You'll just stay here and the walls close. You're stuck without this key."

"The key has the same design as my necklace."

"It's the royal emblem." Jeongguk pointed at the engraving in his armour that Taehyung didn't notice before. "Your necklace is special, it's what even helped me find you. The half I had led me to you but I couldn't be sure without seeing it for myself when they join."

Taehyung entered the teleporter after Jeongguk. "Ahh, so that why you tried to–"

Jeongguk waved his fingers up, freezing his mouth shut again. He pressed on the button to close the pad, the wall following. After a huge flash, the doors opened to reveal the most beautiful room Taehyung has ever seen. Salmon pink walls decorated with ginormous pictures of what he guessed to be his family, shimmering tiles, sparkling chandelier and a wall complete made of glass showing Taehyung a view of the entire village, with a large desk and shelves of books and potions.

"Oh my god," Taehyung thought in his head, still not being able to talk. He stepped foot in, still dazed as he looked around. Suddenly, he felt his lips unfreeze as his wide smile was able to make way.

"Finally. I was afraid the portal might've closed!" a new voice entered. Taehyung whipped around to see who it was, and the elf's concerned face quickly softened. He had long black hair, half up in a bun wearing an elegant white and gold robe covering his entire body, and approached Taehyung with a warm smile. The boy watched as he placed both arms on either side of his shoulder.

"It's so good to see you again," he said softly, smiling for ear to ear. Taehyung looked back at him confused as ever, taking at a glance at Jeongguk who stood there gloomily. The elf pulled him in for a hug, which Taehyung couldn't make himself return.

"But of course, you wouldn't remember me," he said, pulling back. "I'm Namjoon, the royal advisor, at your service your majesty," the elf, Namjoon, said, getting on one knee and bowing.

"Umm." Taehyung felt awkward having no idea what was going on. "This is the weirdest dream ever."

Namjoon got up and looked at Jeongguk. "Did you not inform him?"

"I told him as much as time granted me, but he wouldn't believe me. I couldn't convince him before the portal closed." Jeongguk replied.

Namjoon nodded and turned his attention back to the boy who continued looking around.

"Your majesty–"

"Call me Taehyung, please, it's a little weird to me."

The elf smiled, remembering old memories. "Well, Taehyung, everything Sir Jeon told you is the truth. It's not a dream. You are the sole survivor of the royal bloodline and well, we're desperate for your help."

"Cool," Taehyung said with a nod. "Can I get one the wicked costumes Jeongguk has?"

Namjoon's smile faltered, but he quickly regained it. "Of course. Jeneva!"

A very short woman came running in, instantly at Namjoon's side. She bowed and awaited her order.

"Can you get this gentle-elf into something more appropriate from the prince's closet?"

Jeneva's eyes widened, her head immediately snapping up to look at Taehyung. "The p-prince's cl– I mean, yes. Follow me, please."

Namjoon and Jeongguk watched as Taehyung followed the short elf excitedly. Once the door was closed, the older of the two let his smile fall.

"You let him believe it's a dream?" he started.

"Well I needed him to come with me through the portal before it closed!"

Namjoon sighed. "Where's he?"

"He wasn't there with Taehyung. I'll go back for him though."

"Right, it's okay. It's kind of upsetting to see he doesn't remember anything, I wonder if I can concoct a potion strong enough for that. You haven't told Taehyung about yourself yet?"

Jeongguk crossed his arms. "What's the point?" he asked, following with a sigh. "It's not like it'd make a difference, it's been over a decade."

"Well, it's your choice. How'd you find him?"

Jeongguk almost laughed. "He was at a gay bar. Yup, the prince is gay!"

"Or bisexual. Hmm, that doesn't matter right now. How'd you know it was him?"

Jeongguk bit his lips and looked at the ground.

"Jeongguk," the man said firmly.

"I kinda seduced him and made him take off his upper garment because he was wearing this ugly thing called a turtleneck as I couldn't see if he had the Key with it on."

"Jeongguk!"

"What?"

"Seducing the prince? That wasn't your task!"

The younger rolled his eyes. "Bringing him here was my task, and I did. Mission accomplished. Why are you so mad? It's not like I'm trying to get with the prince, and it's not like you'd be jealous about it now would you?"

"Jeongguk, stop bringing in unnecessary things."

"Why?" Jeongguk said with a scowl. "I just don't understand. Why can't you at least give me a chance."

"This is not the time, and you know exactly why."

"But–"

"I cannot love someone when I know I'll have to watch them die and leave me. I'm sorry, Jeongguk, but I cannot go through that again."

"But what if that's worth it? Love is worth anything." Jeongguk frowned. "I'm not giving up," he muttered.

"Je–"

"Holy crap!" Taehyung yelled, pushing the doors open and cutting of Namjoon. He came in a showed off his new outfit. A stunning light purple cloak decorated with the most expensive jewels over a richer purple robe with a rope belt made of pure gold. "What about my ears?"

"Oh right!" Namjoon said. He walked over to his shelf, searching for the right bottle. "Here we go." He grabbed the bottle and went back over the Taehyung. Opening it, he held out Taehyung's hand and poured some of the powder into his palm. "Sprinkle them over your ears."

Taehyung did as instructed, waited a few seconds but was disappointed when he felt no different. He heard Jeongguk sigh before a block of ice floated in front of him. The boy was shocked at first, but noticed he had created it to act as a mirror. Taehyung looked at himself the ice, turning from side to side from a good view. His ears were pointy!

"This is sick!"

"There's some people I'd like you to meet," Namjoon started.

"Hmm?" Taehyung hummed, snapping out of the trance he was in staring at his own reflection. "Oh yeah, sure! You come along as well, cutie." Taehyung threw a quick wink then headed for the doors.

Jeongguk smirked, looking over at Namjoon. "Jealous yet?" he whispered.

Before Namjoon could open his mouth to speak, Taehyung called out to him. He threw a look at Jeongguk, telling him to behave and went over to the excited prince who couldn't keep his hands off his new ears. Namjoon led the two down a long corridor before stopping in front of a room. Jeongguk scanned his thumb on the pad and the doors instantly opened.

The attention of four breathtaking elves landed on them. They all stopped what they were doing, confused, to look at the three at the door. One of them furrowed his brows, squinting his eyes to get a good look at Taehyung. When he noticed what hung around his neck, he was immediately off his chair and down on one knee, head bowed down.

"Your majesty," he spoke. The other three's eyes widened, but one by they all copied his action and words.

"Okay, you elves really need to stop doing that," Taehyung said. They still didn't get up. "Oh right, I'm a prince in this. Ahem, you may get up!"

The four boys got up from the ground. Jeongguk walked over to them and they immediately began praising him for accomplishing his task.

"Say hello to one of the strongest team of elves in this kingdom. Don't underestimate them by their age. They work together to accomplish royal tasks, such as finding you. Prince Seokjin, works in the labs to create potions, also your cousin but we'll get to that later. Hoseok, the best elf for all your trinkets, magic weapons, and maps. Yoongi, our expert on elves, humans and Earth, you two will probably get along well, he's been to Earth a couple times, the youngest elf to do so. And Jeongguk, well, he handles all the physical work. He'll also be your personal trainer until you can master your gift. But, say hello to Leonava!" Namjoon introduced them, each waving or smiling when their name was mentioned. Once Taehyung took a seat, they all took their seats around the rectangular table.

"I still can't believe the prince, my dear cousin, has returned. When will we be announcing this to the rest of the kingdom?" Jin asked, adjusting his specs.

"Once Taehyung is ready to be crowned King. Other kingdoms will begin saying the prince is weak if we let the the everyone know now, you know about the hungry elves for that throne," Namjoon said. The way he spoke was always so nice to hear, slowly, soothingly, clearly.

"I thought I was the prince of the whole planet?" Taehyung said, leaning his chin in his palms. They all turned to Jeongguk.

"What! He basically is," the elf defended.

"No, although, our kingdom is the most powerful. That's what Jeongguk probably meant," Hoseok said.

"Right. You know, I've never really been interested in elves, I wonder why I'm seeing this all of a sudden," Taehyung said.

"Well even if you did, the definition that humans hold of an elf if not exactly what we are. There's the Santa Clause elves, which is quite dumb honestly, there's the demonic shit – oh, apologies for my inappropriate language — and fantasy elves, blah blah blah, but we're nothing like that. Long ago when we first discovered how to make portals to the parallel universe, elves went through carelessly. Thus began the myths and legends," Yoongi explained.

"Parallel universe?"

Yoongi continued. "Kind of. Everyone who exist on earth as a human, exists here as an elf. We learned that the hard way long ago. The only other universe we've been able to travel to is where you have lived all these years."

"So there's another me in Earth?" Taehyung questioned, getting a little more excited.

"Yup. You may not be a prince there, you may even be homeless, but you're there."

"Then why have I never met myself?"

"Maybe you have and never realized."

Taehyung groaned. "This is so complicated!"

The elves grinned at the confused prince, finding it a little adorable. They continued talking and answering more of Taehyung's questions. Everyone was more than happy to interact with him. Well, except for Jeongguk, who was too busy staring and Namjoon and feeling sad that his feelings will never be returned.

—•
yeah ik this chap is boring, but i wanted to put all the important info for this fic so now we can go on with the story!

honestly, i'm not an expert on elves or parallel universes, so i hope nobody gets triggered if I make my own version of it, sorry!

if you still have any questions, leave them here and i'll answer (if it doesn't spoil anything)

Bye<3