Although you loved the smell of freshly baked goods, nothing could beat the smell of the Halcyon Forest right after heavy rainfall. It was a different sort of smell, it felt refreshing, whereas the bakery just smelt like home.  However uncomfortable eeriness that engulfed Everett still lingered even after you successfully exited the city. 

It was late at night now and the summer rainfall had made the atmosphere feel muggy once you were well and truly hidden in the density of the woods, you shed your body of the long black cloak you wore. As soon as you pulled off your cloak, you allowed the somewhat cooler forest air to hit your bare arms, sending a small chill down your spine. 

"Are we planning on trekking during the night?" Jimin inquired whilst he too shed himself of this cloak, allowing his fluffy white ears and tail to spring to life again. 

You didn't bother answering his question as you exhaustedly slumped against a tree trunk, a tied hum escaping your lips afterwards. It wasn't that you were physically tired but emotionally? Yes. Whilst you and Jimin mindlessly followed the usual route out of the capital, your mind focused solely on the news Yoongi had informed you of. 

You didn't favour the royal family and in fact, one could even say you loathed them but in spite of that, it didn't stop you from feeling slightly bothered by the King's death. Yes, the King imposed a law that forced you and your kind to live the rest of your lives in the shadows in fear but he ruled with a golden heart.  He was an honourable king who leads with compassion. You weren't worried about who was next in line for the thrown as rumour has it Seokjin was the perfect candidate for the position... but one can only go so far with rumours. He hadn't earned the respect of the kingdom yet; meaning other Kingdoms would attempt to take advantage of this. 

Everett; the capital of the Kingdom was in an exceptionally vulnerable state. 

"Yoongi notifies us of the massive target on our heads and the next best thing you decide to do afterwards is take a break right in front of a popular trading path?" Jimin says, interrupting your thoughts.

"We are fine Jimin." Your reply before letting out a deep sigh. You didn't bother opening your eyes because you already knew his figure was looming over you with disdain. "No one will be wandering into the woods whilst rumours of king's death looms the kinngd~." Hurriedly, Jimin pushes his index finger onto your lips, successfully stopping you from finishing your sentence. Snapping your eyes open in surprise, you watch as Jimin anxiously scanned your surroundings, this caused you to lift an eyebrow in amusement. 

"What in the world are you doing?" He begins, voice now in a more hushed state, "you don't know who is around."

You let out a small chuckle and swat his hand away, "Jimin stop with this paranoia, we are fin~." And just like that, you were proven wrong as the snapping of twigs catches your attention. Immediately alert, you spring to your feet and push Jimin behind you.  "Whose there?," your steps are slow as you try to sneak up on the source of the rustling. However, a small breath of relief is heard escaping his lips when a small grey rabbit appears out from behind the bush. "See." You laugh, "you're just paranoid." 

"Says the one who went all defence mode on a poor baby rabbit." Jimin bites back before crouching over and petting the adorable creature. 

Jimin's soft side for animals always never failed to astound you. Seeing as he was a fox familiar, you thought it was only natural for him to prey on tiny creatures such as the one sitting in front of you. Although to your surprise, Jimin loved them. One time, he tried to convince you to keep one as a pet...even though you loved them too you could not stand looking after another creature, Jimin alone was hard to deal with. 

"Touché." You reply after joining Jimin in patting the tiny creature. A few seconds of silence pass before you draw out a long sigh. "I guess we are staying here tonight, we'll head out first thing in the morning." You say before summoning a small blue flame in your palm and flicking your finger forward, providing the two of you a source of warmth. You send Jimin a knowing look and Jimin quickly wandered off. Even if it was in the middle of summer, you knew at during the night, the temperatures will drop dramatically. 

"How long do you think it will take us to arrive at Saorsa on foot?" Jimin inquired after he returned from collecting a few sticks, fuelling the fire and taking a seat next to you on the forest floor.  

The Halcyon Forest stretched across the land of the Kingdom, North to the capital, it acted as neutral land between Everett and Saorsa. 

"Maybe three days? Depends on how many times we stop." You mutter aloud whilst leaning into Jimin. 

"Oh okay so...about a week," Jimin says sarcastically, earning an eye roll from you in response. 

"Screw off Jimin. I need my rest too ~" You say, only to be interrupted again but the sound of breaking twigs, which immediately catches Jimin's attention. 

"Hello?" Jimin's voice echoes through the forest life, allowing an unsettling feeling to form in the pit of his stomach. 

"It's probably a bunny again." You say dismissively before turning around and warming your hands in front of the fire in an attempt to soothe Jimin. However, he doesn't seem convinced as the ears on his head turned from left to right rapidly. This was when you knew something was wrong and your nonchalant attitude diminished. Jimin was a paranoid familiar but it was usually easy to coax him out of his anxiousness. Turning to face Jimin, your eyes follow his line of sight before coming to a tree. It seemed to be just out of reach from the light of the fire, making it difficult for you to make out any suspicious activity. 

A few minutes pass by in silence and no sound could be heard. The forest was now a lot cooler and the crickets seemed to have ceased their constant chattering, allowing any possible sound to echo through the dense land without trouble.

"I can still sense a presence," Jimin admits quietly from next to you. 

Frowning in confusion, you slowly push yourself u from the floor and make your way closer and closer towards the tree Jimin had been eyeing for well over three minutes now. You were determined to show Jimin that there was nothing to be afraid of...but alas, wrong move on your part. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you see the reflection of a tip of a sword drive forward. This forces you to recklessly jump back and as a result, causes your back to collide harshly against a tree trunk. The impact of the tree shot a wave of pain up your spine but you didn't have time to recover as your neck met with the tip of a blade. 

"Move and you die."

You suck in a deep breath and follow the weapon up to meet with a hooded figure, all features hidden under the cloak. Although, one distinct feature that stood out to you was the way his sword shone under the dim moonlight. Each state of the Kingdom had its own unique variation on how the weapon is crafted and Everett in particular customised their swords according to the status of the wielder. Taking a better look at the weapon, you spot the familiar royal crest sitting on the hilt. This meant the wielder was of high class from Everett. Squinting slightly, you see a glimpse of gold at the pommel, a metal that was only embellished on swords wielded by royals. If you didn't know any better, the soon-to-be king must have sent out agents to Everett's borders in search of any Arcane. Adverting your eyes away from the mysterious figure for a split second, you quickly scanned your surroundings. Jimin's figure could no longer be seen near the campfire, this caused your brows to crease in worry. Your eyes now darted around with more haste, in search of your best friend. Thankfully, you spot a flash of white dart behind a trunk, easing your distress. The search for Jimin also allowed you to get a quick look at your surroundings. After concluding that there was no one else in sight, you pulled your fingers into a tight fist, pondering the idea of attacking. But you remained still whilst you weighed the pros and cons. Since the forest was dense, the chance for them to call for backup was slim. What was there to lose? Without thinking, small magenta flames began to engulf your fist. 

Screwing your eyes shut, you allowed your body to prepare yourself for what you were about to do. "Jimin help me." You murmur making the figure in front of you tighten the grip of the sword, almost acting like a warning. 

It had been years since you had to use your magic as self-protection. Many of the past used to think beginning born with the ability to harness magic power was a gift; making everyday life less bothersome. However, the concept was still something beyond the understanding of the non-magical and the fear prevented historians from learning more about the Arcane. In actual fact, many didn't have the ability to use their magic for something as trivial as everyday chores; like yours for example. Your magic solely depended on what familiar you had. 

"What are you doing alone in the woods? Lost?" You say after a few seconds of silence, catching the figure in front off guard. You look directly at the figure in front of you as you shivered, "why don't you stay with us? It's getting cold in the forest and I could use the warmth." Tilting their head sideways, you smiled alluringly whilst your hand slowly crept up to the sword. Your hand ghosted on top of the hand of the figure for a second, testing their reaction and once you knew it was safe, you encased his wrist and gently pulled him away from your neck. "That's right, you don't need this. Now come closer to the fire, it's warmer."

"Kook you knobhead, what did I tell you last night?" Appearing out from behind the tree, another figure comes into view, their voice knocking you out of concentration and breaking the trance you had the hooded figure under. 

"Fuck." The latter cursed under his breath as he drives the sword forward. You act swiftly and jump out of the way in confusion. 

How'd he know how your charm magic worked? 

Whipping your head in the direction of the tree Jimin was hiding behind, you allow your hand to erupt into a bright blue flame. "Who are you?" You sneer, your eyes trained on the two figures before you. Your mind ran through all the possible identities of the two in front of you but your mind went blank. You hadn't used your magic in years and the only person who knew how your magic worked was Yoongi, Venus and other rare occasions; other Arcane. But that couldn't be; judging by the weapon the latter wielded it belonged to a royal which would mean there was an Arcane amongst the Everett royal family..."How ironic," you chuckle, further fueling your hatred for the royal family. 

Drawing out a long sigh, the hooded figure sheathed his sword. "I need you to come with us," he says in a somewhat gentle manner, taking you by surprise.

You move your hand back and summon a stronger flame but Jimin comes out from behind and stops you. "And why would I do that?" You snap back quickly, holding your ground. 

"Look, sweetheart. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way. Kook may be patient but I'm not." Folding his hand together, the second behind 'Kook' tilted their head impatiently. What was with this good guy bad guy attitude the two held?

A low growl emitted from behind you as Jimin stared at the two. Internally you cuss yourself for not listening to Jimin's anxious words previously. If you had just taken more precautions, you wouldn't be in this current predicament.

.

well hello everyone, haha to say it's been a long time would be an understatement. I'm sorry for disappearing although I'm not going to guarantee my return.  For a long time, I lost inspiration and went into burnout creatively and only recently have I been trying to get creative again.  As I said before, I can't guarantee my return but please enjoy the small chapters I've managed to write :) Updates will sporadic but I hope they are still how it was when I used to be active

love sea