A/N - credits to @/Bunny_Patootie on twitter for the amazing fan art of Lucht's logo! She made ones for the rest of the kingdoms as well, which I will reveal when necessary~

Namjoon hated being in handcuffs for the second time in his life but he didn't think he had any other choice at the moment. When he had woken up, the first thing he felt was a splitting headache, then he realized that the rest were being put into handcuffs, just like him. One of the Luchtian soldiers forcefully pulled him up to his feet, then pushed him into a line with all others.

Of course, the idea of being pushed around, both literally and figuratively, was something that Namjoon hated so he turned around, planning to give the soldier a piece of his own mind. However, a spear was pointed to his throat, the tips nearly breaking the surface of his neck's skin. Then, he realized, he could free himself, he had the super strength—

"Namjoon, don't," Jungkook spoke up from in front of him, hands bonded behind his back, some thick rope even tied around his wings to prevent him from flying. Namjoon flinched the sight, obviously it was painful but Jungkook himself kept a straight and determined face. "Like I told the others, they're Luchtian soldiers controlled by the King of Hel. They aren't in control of themselves. Don't hurt them."

Namjoon sighed, completely understanding Jungkook's point. He looked behind him, at the deck, seeing Taehyung operating the captain's wheel, multiple spears pointed to his back, the soldiers spitting out Vredeian words that sounded like gibberish to him. At first, he wondered why Taehyung wasn't using his powers, then he realized that he had the same thoughts as Jungkook's and, contrary to the scowl on the darkness gem bearer's face, he didn't want to hurt any innocent people.

Thus, the ship started to move and they were getting closer to Lucht. Namjoon wobbled in place, as did the rest of those in line, and he took the chance to glance at everyone else. You and Yoongi were in front of the line, huddled closely together and he noticed that there were dots of blood at the corner of the fire gem bearer's lips. Behind the two were Emily and Jin, also sticking close to each other and from Namjoon's view, he could tell that Jin was trying to reassure Emily. They were followed by Hoseok, a few birds still sitting on his head, and he looked the most uncomfortable, most probably because he was being captured by soldiers from his own kingdom.

Namjoon gasped a bit when he felt something bump his back, then he heard a small voice whisper. Jimin. "Sorry, they were pushing me."

"It's fine," Namjoon replied just as the ship halted, all the people in line nearly falling to the floor. The earth gem bearer looked up, seeing two floating islands next to each other, a swarm of the griffin-like creatures stationed in between them. Taehyung pulled a lever, making the ship slow down even more.

One of the soldiers riding a griffin lowered and moved forward to the ship and Namjoon noticed the twin lines of green paint on his cheeks, assuming that he was the general. He spoke swiftly in Vredeian, facing the other soldier standing near Yoongi.

"The general is asking for verification," Jungkook mused, pausing a bit, whilst Namjoon processed why the angel understood Vredeian then he remembered — the light gem bearer was from Vrede. It was pretty obvious in his opinion and he wondered why the others hadn't caught up to this yet. "...And also asked if the prisoners on the ship are the seven wonders and their guardian."

"They were expecting us?," Jimin piped up from behind Namjoon's shoulders, his eyes barely seen because of their height difference.

"Of course they were," Namjoon whispered underneath his breath, a bit sarcastically.

The soldiers continued to converse some more and Namjoon watched closely as Jungkook's eyes slowly widened with each word. It made him anxious, wondering what they were saying until a soldier standing next to Jin suddenly speared Hoseok at the waist, grazing his skin but still causing a severe injury.

"Hoseok!," You screamed from the front of the line as the said air gem bearer collapsed to ground, groaning due to the pain. When you attempted to come his aid, the responsibility of being the guardian taking over you, a soldier hit you across the head, knocking you out because of how hard the blow was.

Jungkook gasped and his wings twitched but he didn't really react more, compared to what Namjoon was expecting. Taehyung was screaming, somehow, from the deck. Some soldiers started to forcefully drag Hoseok towards them.

Yoongi, however, had a completely different reaction. He stared at your unconscious body for a good five seconds, Emily and Jin kneeling down to check on you, before anger took over him in an instant. His brown eyes turned fiery orange, teeth sharpening and claws growing from his nails. Flames lit up around him, engulfing his arms and legs, the heat so strong that Namjoon himself was starting to sweat. "You... you bastards!"

It seems like everything happen within a second. Yoongi's flames were so hot that the handcuffs around his wrists melted off and now he was choking one of the soldiers, the skin of the Luchtian's neck blistering under the fire gem bearer's touch. Everyone was silent, staring frozen due to fear, and Hoseok was the first one to step forward at the sight, after pushing through some stunned soldiers.

"Yoongi, stop it!," It was obvious that Hoseok was mad and Namjoon assumed it was because Yoongi was hurting a citizen of Lucht, a citizen of his kingdom. "Get a hold of yourself—"

"Don't touch me!," Yoongi hissed, slapping Hoseok at the face with the back of his flame-lit hand. Hoseok screamed as his skin burned, on the floor once again. "They hurt Sky! How dare they touch my girl!"

Namjoon attempted to step forward, deeming the situation as dangerous and unnecessary but before he could, purple mist blocked his vision. Then, Taehyung was there, both hands strongly gripping Yoongi's wrists.

"Taehyung, I swear, if you don't—"

"Look around, Yoongi," Taehyung was surprisingly calm, something that Namjoon didn't expect from him. "Look at what you've done."

Yoongi snarled at Taehyung but he still took the time to glance around the area. You were on the floor, unconscious, Emily kneeling next to you with teary eyes. Jin was trying to get to a nearly passed out Hoseok, failing because the air gem bearer was surrounded by armed soldiers. The Luchtian Yoongi had almost killed was slowly getting up, having a bit of difficulty breathing because of the blisters on his neck. The rest of the wonders were in a line, feet rooted to the ground, all bearing different expressions of shock and anger.

Realizing what he had done, Yoongi extinguished his flames, pulling away his arms from Taehyung. "I'm... sorry."

Taehyung was silent, only staring at Yoongi with blank eyes as the fire gem bearer shuffled towards one of the soldiers, gesturing them to put him in another set of handcuffs. Namjoon stared at Taehyung, who was staring right at Yoongi's bracelet, which enclosed the fire gem, while tonguing the inside of his cheek, trying to figure out what was going on in his head — but he got nothing.

"Even I don't know what goes on in Taehyung's mind sometimes," Jungkook mumbled, toned back facing a confused Namjoon. "...And I'm his close friend. He's unpredictable that way."

In that moment, Taehyung made eye contact with Jungkook and somehow, Namjoon knew that they could communicate that way, it was the proof of how much they knew each other, of how despite Taehyung's complaints, he still thought of Jungkook as his good friend.

Then Taehyung was gone. Leaving behind a trail of purple mist, he was back at the wheel. Yoongi was double-handcuffed. It was peaceful, until the general harshly pulled Hoseok to his feet, throwing his body on his griffin and binding him with thick rope.

It was the last straw for Jimin. He stepped in front of Namjoon, teeth gritted and eyes yellow. "What are you doing to Hoseok?!"

"We nemen hem mee," The general raised a sword against Jimin's adam's apple after ordering a soldier to continue binding him. "Of de dood op jullie allemaal."

"W-What did he say?," Emily croaked, still next to your unconscious figure. Namjoon was glad that none of the soldiers were attacking her for it.

"They want Hoseok," Jungkook spoke under his breath, barely heard by Namjoon, even though he was standing right behind the angel. The light gem bearer was trembling a bit and it was unsure if it was because of the cold air or not. "Or they'll kill us."

A silence. Of course, both situations didn't really benefit the wonders and the gang, Namjoon realized after analyzing it a bit. Their options were the following: letting Hoseok get captured or possibly having them all killed. It wasn't like they had a choice in the matter.

But Hoseok did. "Let them capture me."

"Hoseok, what?!," Jin screamed, still trying to get through the guards to heal his injury. "We aren't leaving anyone behind!"

"It's for the team," Hoseok shrugged, as if letting an army of controlled soldiers keep him captive was nothing. He scooted a bit when the general sat in front of him, making sure that he was tied up enough. "I'll be fine. You guys be safe and I'll find a way to reclaim Lucht, I promise."

Nobody really knew what to say after that. They only watched as the general chanted a short rhyme, then the griffin flew upwards, Hoseok smiling at the rest as he slowly disappeared in the sky with other soldiers who followed. Namjoon was frustrated at how they couldn't do anything to help him and it was obvious that the rest were too.

Taehyung continued to drive the ship into Lucht and the scenery changed notably once they went through the gate. There was one giant floating island, right in the middle of the air, a sparkling waterfall flowing from the center, landing straight to the see down below. Buildings glittered in their green color, the purple banners contrasting, and Namjoon could see some Luchtian citizens walking around. He noted their pointed ears and emerald eyes, how the women wore green clothing (leaves?) barely covering their private areas and the men in brown leather that almost looked similar to fresh bark. Their hair colors ranged from hazelnut brown to charcoal black. Soldiers were stationed everywhere, their purple armor standing out in the city of green.

Namjoon saw the silhouette of the general's griffin high up above and honestly, he expected them to go the same direction. Instead, a soldier screamed at Taehyung to drive faster to the side and the view of the beautiful floating island grew farther with each second.

Instead, they were presented by another island far away, one that looked barren and horrific compared to Lucht's main city. The grass was grey, dead and void of life, air chilling and putrid with the smell of rot and decay. It was dark, soil black and roots curling below, wrapping around something that Namjoon couldn't see from his point of view, but something was glistening from there.

When the ship started to dive, Namjoon realized what he was looking at. The roots were closer now and he could see how thick and hairy they were, how huge cages — shaped with curves, like a bird's cage — were in their grasp, how the glistening objects were actually bright skeletons of former prisoners, hauntingly white and in positions that just screamed pity.

"...Hell no," Emily started to hyperventilate, taking deep breaths and wrapping her arms around you. The reaction was expected, especially because you had told the others about her fear of height. "Oh hell no!"

"Are they... locking us up in those cages?," Jin whispered, staring at the horrid molded cages then peaking from the side of the deck, flinching when he realized how high up they were. He couldn't even see the bottom.

"Isn't it obvious enough?," Yoongi muttered under his breath as the ship went near one of the cages. His eyes widened when one of the soldiers kicked Emily, taking your unconscious figure. "Let go of her you mother—"

A punch in the face silenced Yoongi. Namjoon watched helplessly as another soldier opened the cage and you were harshly tossed inside. As it was locked, Jungkook finally snapped and screamed, trying to shake off the apparition tying his wings together.

When Jin was taken, Emily screamed even more and he was locked in a different cage away from yours. Yoongi resisted strongly when he was grabbed but it was effortless and he was caged as well. Taehyung released a howl. "You know what, neuken the fact that they are Luchtian soldiers! I'm killing them all—"

Taehyung gasped when a spear went through his abdomen, blood drizzling down his chin. Another soldier hit him across the head and he was knocked out cold.

Jungkook screamed again but this time, Namjoon could tell that he was beyond furious. Emily was in a cage now. "Taehyung!"

The whole situation rendered Namjoon speechless and his hearing blocked out everything around him. Jungkook was still screaming in anger as he was taken away and it took multiple soldiers to shove him inside a cage. Taehyung was literally being dragged across the deck and was placed in an empty cage, right next to Jungkook's. He didn't know why he wasn't willing to break the handcuffs and fight, even when Jimin screamed, even when he himself was placed in a cage. He just felt hopeless.

The ship left Namjoon's sight, Jimin on the deck, looking more terrified than ever. Cold air hit him once more as the cage swung, the sound of squeaking metal ringing in his ears. It was obvious — somehow, the soldiers were aware of everything. They knew that Taehyung had the ability to get everyone free so they knocked him out. They knew that if Jungkook could free himself, he could fly and help the others, so they pinned his wings. They knew that Namjoon could escape in a second because of his super strength, so they placed him in the highest cage there was.

The King of Hel was wise and he knew exactly what had to be done.

Namjoon sat on the cage's floor with a thud, sighing and snapping the handcuffs off his wrists just for the heck of it. He kneeled, gripping the metal bars of the cage and staring at the clouds ahead, the hanging roots from the dark island perfectly contrasting the bright image.

Right. Taehyung was in the cage nearby, laying in a pool of his own blood. Jungkook was thrashing around in his cage, frustrated at how he couldn't free his own wings. Left. Jimin was sitting down in his cage, which was close by Namjoon's, hugging his knees to his chest and sobbing softly.

"We should have fought back," Jimin croaked out, facing Namjoon with a tear-stained face. His plump lips were trembling and the earth gem bearer's heart sank at how he looked so scared. "Namjoon, will we ever get out?"

Namjoon broke eye contact with Jimin and instead stared at the ground, teeth gritted and fists balled in frustration. "I don't know, Jimin... I don't know."

-

Hoseok expected to be thrown into a dirty jail cell, tortured to his death or starved but not even his sharp intuition (courtesy of the air gem) made him think that the general would land right in the middle of Lucht's city, soldiers saluting in two lines around them. He was silent as he was dragged down the griffin, glancing around with wide eyes. Now that he had a closer look, the buildings were actually made from wood, designs carved into them. The floor was coated with a layer of fresh grass, which crunched under his shoes. Trees lined up around the houses, leaves green and fresh, colorful flowers and fruits decorating them. Civilians were flocked around them, held back by some guards, and Hoseok took note of how their armor looked like it was made of bark, mixed with metal and leaves.

The civilians' eyes never left Hoseok — no, they never left the air gem, one of the charms of his bracelet.

"Our savior has come!"

Everyone paused. Hoseok looked up, seeing a man pushing through the crowd hastily. The man was standing in the middle of the way, hair disheveled and clothes torn, barely hanging onto his torso. His green eyes were wide, screaming with insanity. In the man's hand was... a collar?

"Look, everyone! Our savior is here! This man has the air gem and will finally reclaim Lucht from these snakes!," The man cackled, throwing his hands up in the air, the civilians murmuring due to his words. He then raised a finger and pointed it right at Hoseok. "Savior! Do you know what they've done to our precious kingdom? Lucht has a strong belief in peace amongst all creatures but most of our animals have been wiped out by these lovely soldie—"

A gunshot. The lifeless man fell on the ground with a thud, the civilians screaming at the sight. Hoseok was blank as he was dragged inside the palace, leaving behind the screams of both pain and fear.

Hoseok couldn't even collect all the thoughts in his head, the red carpet and greenish brown walls making him dizzy. Peace amongst all creatures, it was Lucht's strongest belief. It explained why he suddenly had a strong connection to animals after arriving in Vrede, how he cared for them despite how he was tagged as a scaredy cat back in Earth. He felt stronger too, as if he could summon tornadoes on his palms, that he could float all the way to the ceiling and wipe out all the soldiers around him — but he didn't. He knew that it was best to observe first.

Since Hoseok was so caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't notice that he was now standing in front of huge wooden double doors, Lucht's logo carved right in the center. As the doors were pushed open, he wondered how you and the others were doing, hoping that all eight of you were safe. Still, he was worried, because he had no idea what kind of situation his friends were in at the moment.

Lucht's throne room was the epitome of nature itself. Wooden branches were crawling up the sides, forming the walls of the palace. A red carpet was on the ground, leading straight to the throne, which was located at the center of the room. The floor was designed in a way that it resembled grass, flowers dotted on it as well. The throne was made of wood as well, mighty and bulky, a big sycamore tree standing behind it, looking dead compared to all the trees in the area, leaves grey and wrinkles. Hoseok realized that this tree was the same one in Lucht's logo and he saw saddened by its state, how he almost couldn't recognize it.

"Untie him," Hoseok only noticed the man sitting on the throne after his voice was heard. The first thing he noticed was the man's strange haircut, how he was nearly bald but only a patch of hair (dry like grass) was left behind right on top of his head. He too wore purple armor, eyes dark, a golden crown resting on top of his head, one that looked like thorns and leaves twirled into each other.

"But your highness—"

"I said untie him."

The general hesitated for a moment but he obeyed, using his spear to cut the ropes tied around Hoseok, who didn't dare move, he knew that he shouldn't do anything that could trigger this man at the moment.

"What have you done to Lucht?," Hoseok seethed through gritted teeth, hands balled into fists. He watched as the man stood up from the throne, stepping slowly towards the dead tree behind it.

"Peace amongst all creatures. You have heard of this motto, have you not?," The man brushed his fingertips gently against the tree and Hoseok gulped, his intuition giving him dread, telling him that he was about to get himself in a horrible situation. "The King of Hel has always despised Lucht's ways so he sent me here to kill the former King and now the crown is mine. Those pathetic animals... they were weak, unnecessary, so we got rid of them. And this tree, called Maria... this tree only blooms when it recognizes the rightful King of Lucht and that person, dear Hoseok, is you... which, leads me to my current dilemma."

The man turned around, walking slowly towards Hoseok, who was getting more furious by the second. This person had destroyed Lucht from the inside out and the mere thought of it made his insides burn.

Before the man could open his mouth to speak, Hoseok got wind of what he was about to say, thanks to his intuition. "I'm not giving you my gem, bastard."

"...Oh, so it is true. The air gem really does give you extraordinary intuition. Interesting," The man stroked his chin and stared at the air gem, making Hoseok grab his own wrist in a protective stance. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Markus and—"

"Do you think I care?," Hoseok spat, stepping backwards, stopping when he felt the tip of a spear poke his back.

"Whoops. Careful there, dear Hoseok. Your words may cost you your life," Markus clicked his tongue and shook his finger, as if he was speaking to a toddler. He then made a gesture for the other soldiers to leave, circling around Hoseok in a slow pace, hands clasped behind his back. "I mean no harm. I merely want to offer you a deal."

A deal? Just the idea of it made Hoseok raise his eyebrow questionably. Still, he put on a fierce expression, giving Markus a burning glare. "Nothing will ever make me hand over the air gem to the likes of you."

Markus only laughed, digging into his pocket and fishing out a small, circular object. Hoseok stared at it for a moment until a button was pressed and a holographic screen, similar to the one in the ship, was presented to the two. "Have you wondered what my men have done to your friends?"

Hoseok's eyes widened when the screen displayed your unconscious body in a cage, barely hanging from the roots of a floating island. It switched to Emily, who was panicking, her cage swinging violently, then Jin, who was trying to calm down Emily, although he was equally terrified. Next was Yoongi, who was releasing a lot of flames out of anger, and Jungkook, whose wings were pinned together, rattling the cage out of frustration, light blue eyes filled with intense fury. Then Taehyung, knocked out and bleeding. Namjoon, sitting down, playing with the bones of a skeleton inside with him. Jimin, crying into his own knees.

The sight of Hoseok's friends made his heart shatter into pieces. He screamed, pulling Markus towards him by the collar, making some of guards next to the doors alert. "Let go of my friends!"

"Only if you give me the air gem," Markus smirked, thinking that he was victorious in the situation.

Hoseok thought differently. He had already weighed the options, thinking of all possible results and only one mattered — if he said yes, it meant handing over the air gem and losing all his powers, giving Markus the advantage to kill him on the spot. His death meant that one of the seven wonders was gone and Vrede will never be saved. It meant that the others were useless to Markus and the King of Hel and they would most probably get taken out, if not starve to death in those cages. "How am I sure that you won't kill us all, anyway?"

Markus frowned, pushing Hoseok away gently, and it was the air gem bearer's turn to smile in victory. Then, he chuckled with a low voice. "You are a lot smarter than I expected."

Hoseok wasn't sure if he had to thank Markus for the compliment but he didn't, instead he pointed at his air gem cockily. "See? You'll never get this from me."

"Not unless... I kill you," Markus licked his lips, rubbing his palms together as they made sparks. Purple energy danced around his fingertips then there was a loud crackle, the mist materializing into a long rope. "Then the gem will be mine."

"Huh," Hoseok rubbed the back of his nape awkwardly as his eyes turned green and he slowly levitated off the ground. "That's actually a good point. Touché."

Markus snarled, swinging an arm and making his rope crackle across the air and Hoseok took no effort in dodging it. Hoseok whistled calmly as he summoned a ball of air over his palm, tossing it, as if it were a baseball, towards Markus, who tumbled on the ground at the impact.

"You missed," Hoseok taunted after Markus swung his rope again, only for the air gem bearer to dodge it once more by rolling in midair. He continued to float around, consistently dodging the snapping of the rope right below his feet. He twirled his fingers, attempting to form a tornado around Markus' feet, when he noticed something.

The air gem was glowing powerfully green, nearly matching the stone replica in Markus' crown. Hoseok stared at it in a moment of confusion, glancing at Maria, until he heard a loud snap and felt something coil around his ankle.

Hoseok looked down, seeing the purple rope around his ankle and the sinister smile on Markus' face. "Oh no—"

It happened so quickly. Markus tugged on the rope, pulling Hoseok across the room swiftly, cold air hitting his face, and the next second he was crashed into the wall. He didn't even have time to groan out of pain until he was tossed across the room again, this time landing in between the brittle branches of Maria.

Hoseok wiped the blood on his cheek, which stung because there was a fresh cut, and tugged on the rope in hopes of untying it but for some reason, he couldn't. Then he flew again, now Markus crashed him into the floor. It hurt so badly that he felt like he had broken his back.

Markus walked forward, stepping on Hoseok's face with so much force that the air gem bearer spat out some blood. "Is this all you can offer? You're the bearer of the gem that controls air, dubbed as the savior of Lucht, yet you can't even beat me? Pathetic! Your people will be so disappointed after they find out that you have perished, dear Hoseok. You have no right to be King of Lucht, no right at all."

When Markus started landing punches on Hoseok's face, everything seemed to go in slow motion for the latter. He turned to the side, glancing at the air gem of his bracelet — no, he couldn't die now, there was so much he wanted to with Jia. The weight of Lucht and Vrede's fate was on his shoulders, alongside with his friends'. He can't give up now, he can't.

But everything hurt. Hoseok's body was aching all over and the continuous punches weren't helping. However, just when he thought that it was hopeless, he remembered something important — his last words to Jia.

I love you, Jia. I'll be back soon, okay?

Hoseok remembered these words, these words that gave Jia hope because everything is going to be fine. He was definitely coming back to her and she'll get the biggest kiss she has ever had from him once they meet again.

They will.

And something inside Hoseok snapped.

The air gem was glowing so brightly that even Markus had to pause. Hoseok opened his eyes, which were now powerfully green, his teeth becoming pointed and nails turning into claws. Feathers started growing on his arms and his brown hair turned dark black. He raised a palm to Markus' face, a pillar of strong air shooting out and making him fly across the room.

Hoseok stood up as he heard a crash and stared at the rope tied around his ankle. He pulled it, using all his strength to spin Markus in circles, screaming in fury. After a while, he swiped his claws and cut the rope, making Markus fall and break the throne of Lucht.

Macht spat out a shattered tooth, cowering at the sight of Hoseok walking towards him, a semi-torando whirling around him. The green eyes were boring into him, burning his very core. "H-How? How is it possible?!"

"You said it yourself, Markus," Hoseok raised his arms and rose into the air, the tornado around him intensifying that some objects in the room started to get thrown around. "I'm the bearer of the air gem."

-

A/N - Hi guys! I'd just like to say that from today, updates will be every weekend.

ALSO! The Wattys 2017 officially opens voting this June 15! Please vote for The Seven Wonders under the Fanfiction category! Yes, my story is actually eligible!

The Fiction Awards 2017 has also opened voting! Please vote for The Seven Wonders under Best Fanfiction, it will really mean a lot if I make it to the final round of both awards ;; Both books are in a reading list in my profile so please check for more information!

Thank you!

And— 4 o' clock a solid proof of vmin— family photos with so much yoonjin— dead— Kim Taehyung is actually a wizard—

Lmao bye for real! See you guys in the next chapter!