Namjoon stared at Agnes' kneeling figure, trying to process what he was seeing, not believing that a few words had convinced her to hand over the crown to him. There was a silence as he stared at the young girl, the laurel crown shining in her hands, the absolute symbol of his rule finally in his grasp. He did it, somehow, in between all the chaos, he had done it.

"I was wrong about you, Kim Namjoon," Agnes spoke slowly, looking up from under her fringe, dark eyes now filled with hope and realization. Namjoon stared back, still understanding what exactly had happened, what exactly had lead to this fruitful situation. "You are no coward, you are no weakling. You, the wonder of Aarde... you are a brave man. You know mercy, you know kindness. You have the qualities of a King and have full right over your kingdom."

"I," Namjoon struggled to find his words, his throat closing due to the shock of it all. "Thank you, Agnes."

"It is my pleasure, Aarde's King," Agnes bowed once more before standing up, stepping backwards once Namjoon held the crown and stood back to watch him wear it.

Instead of wearing the laurel crown, however, Namjoon stared at Agnes even more, the thought of how much pain and suffering she had to endure under Hel's militaristic government to reach a rank high enough to become Aarde's ruler paining him to the very core. Again, she was a child. She wasn't meant to be aware of violence and death over loss, she was supposed to be under the care of her parents, only caring about how she would spend the day and how she would have fun. She was supposed to be an innocent child, not a murderous weapon.

But the look in Agnes' eyes told Namjoon otherwise. Despite the horrible mentality that had been branded in her mind, deep down she was still a child, a child who yearned for love and a mother's touch, a child who wished for attention and praise. A wave of responsibility washed over him and he could see Yuna in her place, staring at her proudly. What would Yuna say if she were here? He knew exactly what it was.

"Thank you, big brother Namjoon."

"No, Yuna," Namjoon whispered underneath his breath. "I thank you."

With that thought in mind and a solemn yet sincere smile on Namjoon's face, he let the laurel crown rest on his head after Yuna's figure slowly disappeared. A surge of power shot through his limbs as his gem started to glow brighter, an inscription appearing on its core. King.

It seemed like the skies of Aarde rejoiced at the return of their rightful king, the sunlight piercing through the dark clouds and illuminating the formerly barren lands of the kingdom. Being made aware of the Helian ruler's fall, the Aardeain men stripped off their armor and fought the Helian soldiers, telling them to run off back to their own kingdom. Namjoon could see the events unfold from the window of the castle, watching as Aardeians started to gather and cheer for their democracy.

With Namjoon's newfound power, he noticed the wrecked throne room and started fixing it, tiers of rock floating about and merging to form sturdy pillars and walls. Right in the middle of it was Agnes, who once again went down on one knee and whispered: "Long live Aarde's king."

Namjoon smiled, opening his mouth to reply to Agnes' respect when he heard a commotion right outside the door of the throne room. He listened carefully to the shuffling of footsteps before a purple laser beam pierce through the doors, making him alert as he faced Agnes, feeling relieved when she jumped out of the way. When he braced himself for more soldiers, rocks already floating around him, he recognized the people behind the purple smoke.

Taehyung was in front, clutching his staff, the tip fading back to a dark black color after using it, some drops of blood dotting his chin and cheeks. Behind was Jimin, his orange hair disheveled and mouth slightly parted as he released deep pants. Jungkook was behind him as well, wings folded, eyes round with curiosity, blonde hair matted on his forehead.

"The single men club came as fast as we could," Jimin said with a straight face, earning glares from both Taehyung and Jungkook. "Are you alright, Namjoon?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," Namjoon glanced at Agnes, who was getting up from the ground after dodging Taehyung's beam. "...Thanks. Where are the others?"

"They're outside, trying to calm down the crowd of Aardeians. Mathilde is with us because she wants to speak to you after—," Jungkook paused when he noticed the glowing stone on Namjoon's crown, eyes widening when he realized why. "Namjoon... you did it."

"I did," Namjoon brushed his fingertips against the smooth leaves of his crown, dimples out due to his bright smile. "Thanks to Agnes, I did."

The first thing Namjoon noticed was how Taehyung's expression hardened at the mention of Agnes' name, almost as if it was familiar to him. A polar opposite reaction was given from Jimin, who tilted his head and pouted his lips slightly in confusion. "Agnes?"

"That would be me," Agnes announced as she walked into the scene, hands behind her back as she stood next to Namjoon. Jungkook and Jimin's jaws dropped, eyes widened whilst they stared at the little girl before them. Taehyung, however, only looked away, his face contorted in pain.

"She's a kid?," Jimin blinked, struggling to find his words. "Agnes, you– but she– How?"

"Agnes is not a threat," Taehyung spoke towards Jungkook, who looked doubtful, before Namjoon could, surprising the earth gem bearer. Securing his staff with the belt loop of his jeans, he turned towards the two behind him, his glare piercing through them. "Don't come closer unless I tell you to."

Jimin nodded vigorously, hiding behind Jungkook who, despite being unsure, decided to trust Taehyung. The darkness gem bearer slowly walked towards Agnes, whose eyes were watching him like a hawk. There was a thick tension in the air, only Taehyung's footsteps resounding in the throne room, and when Namjoon received a meaningful look from him, he knew that he had to step back and let them talk. He was still in earshot, however, so he could hear their conversation clearly.

"Taehyung," Agnes' voice came with distaste, releasing a loud scoff together with the name. She had her arms crossed over her chest, Taehyung staring at her silently. "You know, when you left, the Helians were divided regarded their opinions about you. Some called you a traitor, some said you ran out of fear, some believed that you were going to return as a hero."

"Which one were you?," Taehyung whispered as a reply, his expression soft, making Namjoon a bit uncomfortable. The way he looked at her was strange, as if there was a familiarity in her very existence but he couldn't figure out what.

A silence before Agnes gathered enough reassurance to reply. "I thought you were a traitor. I resented the fact that you had escaped Hel while we were left behind to suffer. But... now that I think about it, you're actually the luckiest out of us all."

Taehyung chewed on his bottom lip, eyes glancing around the room. In that moment of silence, someone had entered the room and Namjoon noticed instantly. The first person who came into his sight was Jin, blonde hair ruffled and shirt dripping wet, the cloth sticking to his stomach and revealing a smooth and lean stomach. Behind him was Emily carrying a wooden bow, followed by you and Yoongi who walked in hand in hand. The rest continued coming in like an army of ants, the last person being Mathilde, tunic dropping off her shoulders and revealing some scratch marks on her face.

Hoseok attempted to approach Namjoon to ask what happened but the latter made a gesture towards his crown before pressing a finger to his lips, signaling them to stay quiet. Everyone smiled at the sight of the crown.

"If you think I approve of what Hel has become, I don't. It's why I left," Taehyung said slowly, going down on one knee to hold Agnes' shoulders, the sight nearly making Namjoon's eyes bulge out of his sockets. However, he flinched, hesitating, and ended up dropping both his arms to his sides. "Agnes, listen. You know what happens if you return, right? My– The King, he... he won't let you live. There's a way out of this. There's a way to escape."

Agnes looked up at Taehyung, normally dark eyes turning bright upon hearing his words. Namjoon recognized it as hope. "Is there?"

Taehyung smiled softly, the corner of his mouth crooking upwards, stunning everyone. Namjoon caught Jungkook's expression and the angel was definitely surprised beyond words. "There is. Join us."

Another silence. Namjoon faced Hoseok, who looked baffled at Taehyung's words. He could tell that everyone else was, after all they had just met Agnes and knew her as a child. At the same time, there was definitely something about the little that struck Taehyung, to the point that he actually offered his own kindness, which was rare even for Jungkook.

"Join you?," Agnes broke the silence with a choke.

"Join us," Taehyung repeated as he stood up and stepped backwards, closer to the others. "These people you see right now? They're nothing like those back in Hel, back in the place you're forced to call home. Our mission is to defeat fa– the King and restore peace in both Vrede and Earth. Join us, I know you want to. Please, it's the only way to save you."

Agnes seemed to take in those words and think about it, since her hands were now rested in front of her stomach, fingers intertwined. She chewed on the inside of her cheek before releasing a chuckle, one that Namjoon couldn't identify whether it was evil or not. "You know, Taehyung, you're not as bad as they say you are."

Taehyung rolled his eyes, although Agnes' words made him smile slightly. "Just get your puny ass over here."

Suddenly, the air was light. Namjoon watched with a smile as Agnes started approaching Taehyung with careful steps. However, since everyone was occupied by the scene before them, none of them noticed that portal that was slowly opening behind Agnes. None of them saw the Helian soldier step through it, spear in hand. None of them saw the murderous glint in his eyes.

It all happened so quickly. There was a shrill scream that came from you, then there was so much red. The spear went through Agnes' torso, showering Taehyung with the crimson blood.

Namjoon's legs wobbled and he ended up losing his balance, Hoseok supporting him whilst releasing short gasps because of what he just witnessed. Everything sounded like a loud buzz and slowly, he began to hear Yoongi, who was barreling through the room with flaming arms.

"Taehyung, get out of the fucking way!," Yoongi screeched, eyes orange and full of fury.

Taehyung, however, was just standing there, trembling as he stared at Agnes' bleeding figure, eyes widened in both disbelief and anger. The Helian soldier pulled the spear out of the little girl and was now heading towards him but he didn't move an inch.

"Taehyung, move!"

It was your voice that brought Taehyung back to reality so he shuffled backwards, colliding with Yoongi as they both tumbled to the floor in a mess of limbs. The fire gem bearer spread his legs just at the right moment, the spear puncturing the ground where his feet were.

Taehyung swiftly got up, pulling Yoongi by the collar to his feet before pushing him away, taking the staff from his back and clashing it with the soldier's spear. "You! What did you do?!"

"I was sent here by the King himself," The soldier spoke slowly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Something about a weakling I had to take care of."

Taehyung took a moment to register the soldier's words and when he did, he released a loud cry of fury. He continued to fight the soldier when something inside Namjoon snapped. He was overtaken by anger at how Agnes was killed so cold-heartedly, at how it was useless to spare her because she was still dead. He pat Hoseok's shoulder, telling him to stand back.

"Jungkook," Namjoon called, the angel facing him questionably. "Get Taehyung. I'll finish off the soldier."

"Namjoon—"

"Do it."

Jungkook swallowed dryly, nodding as he spread his wings and jumped into the air, swooping in to grab Taehyung before the fight could get any worse. As the darkness gem bearer screamed at the angel to let go of him, Namjoon raised a balled fist, a rock spike shooting from the ground and skewering through the soldier. Everyone was silenced by the sight.

The soldier chuckled darkly, thick blood dripping down his chin and torso. "So now I've seen it. The true nature of Aarde's king—"

"Shut up. You don't know me, Agnes or anyone else. Shut. Up," Namjoon hissed, spreading open his palm to make more spikes grow out, spearing through random areas of the soldier's body. Once he calmed down, he let go of the body and watched as it fell to the floor with a thud.

The tension in the air was heavy once again. Namjoon glanced around, surveying the area. Taehyung was kneeling next to Agnes' body, fingers digging into the cloth of his jeans, alongside Jungkook who looked torn between comforting his friend or not saying anything at all, Jin running towards them in a panic. Yoongi was lying down as you checked if he was alright.

Namjoon stood up, balancing himself by holding his knees and jogged towards Agnes' bleeding body, just in time to see Taehyung grab Jin by the collar angrily before screaming at him. "What are you waiting for?! Heal her!"

"T-Taehyung, I can't!," Jin stuttered out, making a gesture towards Emily, who looked ready to fight Taehyung.

"You can't?! What do you mean you can't?! You own the healing gem, don't you?! Heal Agnes!," Taehyung wildly shook Seokjin, eyes dark yet burning with fury. Namjoon stared at him, taken aback by the amount of anger he was releasing. Jungkook, however, acted as if this was normal.

"Taehyung, I can't! Agnes is dead! I can only heal, not revive!," And with those words, Taehyung threw Jin to the ground and glanced over at Agnes' body, gasping when he noticed that she was still. "I'm... so sorry."

In that moment, Namjoon realized the same thing. Agnes was dead.

"Neuken," Taehyung whispered, purple mist erupting from him and bursting in the air, making everyone around him flinch. He grabbed his hair, voice seething with anger. "Neuken, neuken, neuken!"

Namjoon's hands balled into fists, the sound of Taehyung's screaming echoing in his mind as Jungkook tried calming him down. It was so close. Agnes was still a little child who yearned for freedom and she was so close to getting it but, once again, he had failed to protect her, he had failed to protect someone. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned around to see Mathilde looking at him with a sorrowful expression. "Agnes was merely a child caught up in war, she was just a victim. We were so close to granting her freedom. We were so close, Mathilde! Why did I fail to protect her? Why did she have to die? Why—"

"There are truly many casualties in war, Namjoon," Mathilde sighed, squeezing Namjoon's shoulder as a sign of reassurance. "I, too, wish to bring back many Aardeian women that have been lost under my command. However, we must accept that there some circumstances that we cannot control. Agnes' death was futile and you should not pin it under your blame. You are a twenty year old man whose whole life is ahead of you and, contrary to a forty year old woman like myself, you are young, filled with hope and dreams, a bright future ahead. As Aarde's king, you will have to deal with situations even graver than this. Please do not let this bring you down."

Namjoon paused and thought about Mathilde's words, realizing that she was right. This was out of his control, this was something not even he could handle. The only thing left to do was to accept it. Acceptance. He reached for Mathilde's hand, still on his shoulder, and squeezed it back. "Thank you, Mathilde."

"It is my pleasure to be of assistance, your highness," Mathilde replied with a formal bow, making Namjoon's head spin because his new identity as King just struck him like lightning.

There was a loud grunt from Taehyung, making everyone face him. He was standing up now, carrying Agnes' body while facing away from the others. When he spoke, he still didn't turn, voice soft yet rough. "Mathilde. The graveyard, is it still there?"

Mathilde took a moment to reply. "Yes it is, Taehyung. When Aarde was taken was invaded, the one condition we gave to the Helians was for them not to touch the city's graveyard."

"Good. Namjoon," Taehyung called, making Namjoon face him questionably, the earth gem bearer flinching when he balanced Agnes' body with one arm and harshly grabbed his hand with his free one. "You're coming with me."

Namjoon couldn't even question Taehyung because the next thing he knew, they were surrounded by purple smoke.

-

Taehyung opened his eyes as the purple mist around him and Namjoon faded, revealing an empty and chilling graveyard, the tombstones haunting as most were unmarked, only becoming slabs of stones shoved into the ground to hopefully bring respect to those who have passed on. The air was cold, stinging his skin as the wind fanned it, the silhouette of the castle's back, located far away but near enough for them to see, illuminated by the sunlight. Patches of grass littered the soil, the rest dry and dead. Behind them was a rusty metal gate nearly falling off its hinges.

"Taehyung...," Namjoon spoke warily, glancing around the area with caution, one hand unconsciously holding his crown to check if it was still on top of his head. "Where are we?"

"If you're thinking that I brought you somewhere far away so I could execute you, you're wrong. This is Aarde's graveyard and we're just a few miles behind the castle," Taehyung replied after walking around a bit, trying to find an empty spot, Namjoon trailing behind him. "I brought you here to help me bury Agnes."

Namjoon didn't reply and Taehyung only assumed that it was because he was too deep in thought. Finally finding a good spot, Taehyung gently placed Agnes on the ground and materialized purple mist in his hands to form a shovel. Before he could start digging, however, he felt a hand on his forearm and turned around to see the earth gem bearer staring at him solemnly.

Wordlessly, Namjoon nodded and shifted his eyes towards the ground, the rocks moving according to how his hand moved. A square shaped hole appeared, the dirt swelling out of it like lava erupting from a volcano. After a while, it created a six foot deep hole, just the right size for Agnes.

Taehyung nodded at Namjoon as a sign of thanks and looked down at Agnes' body, noticing that his dark clothes were stained with her blood. Since it was the least of his worries at the moment, he ignored it and started making a coffin with materialized purple mist, making it resemble wood and enclosing it, fully concealing her face. He then kneeled down and clapped his hands together, pressing them to his lips as he closed his eyes.

A short prayer towards Macht, or any God that was listening to Taehyung at this moment, was released — Please give Agnes a peaceful life when she is reincarnated and have mercy on her soul, among with all the others that have been through horrifying experiences due to the war caused by Hel.

And, despite the situation, Taehyung also prayed that things between you and him would patch up quickly. He prayed for safety, for him and everyone else. He prayed for guidance because he was sure that every decision resting on his shoulders would cause a butterfly effect of both good and bad events.

Taehyung opened his eyes to see Namjoon doing the same next him. "Helian custom. At least, before religion was deemed as a taboo."

Standing up, Taehyung brushed the dust off his knees before levitating the coffin with purple mist, slowly lowering it into the hole. There was a silence as they both watched until Namjoon spoke up, his voice rough and dripping with sorrow. "Do all the children go through this?"

"What?," Taehyung asked, not really catching Namjoon's question.

"The children of Hel... Is it true that they become soldiers too? Are sweet innocent kids really being turned into weapons of destruction?," Namjoon looked more furious than sad, Taehyung could tell by his balled fists and clenched teeth, chin protruding and all. At first, the darkness gem bearer wondered why the other man cared for a kingdom that wasn't his, a kingdom that had caused all the chaos that was currently affected by both Earth and Vrede, the kingdom hated by everyone. He didn't belong there, he had nothing to do with Hel, yet he acted like it was something important enough to draw out his worry.

Then, Taehyung figured that Namjoon saw something in Agnes that had opened his eyes, the same thing he had seen in her as well. Hope. Innocence. Fear. Injustice.

"It's true," Taehyung finally replied, peering through the hole to see if the coffin has reached the ground yet. It hasn't. "Me and– my sister, we were part of them. Our father didn't want us to be weak, he said. Trained us till we burned out."

Taehyung made it a point to not mention Shay's name or the fact that his father was the King of Hel. He wasn't ready to disclose that information, at least not yet.

"I'm sorry," Namjoon sounded sincere enough for Taehyung to nod at him.

"Not that I'm bothered by that anyways," Taehyung muttered, resulting in Namjoon not hearing his words. There was a thump, signaling that the coffin was at the bottom of the pit now.

"How long has this been going on? Hel being a militaristic government, I mean, if you don't mind me asking," Namjoon obviously chose his words carefully because he was speaking slowly. He was also staring down the hole a bit solemnly and after a few minutes, he let dirt fill it up.

Taehyung gathered his thoughts first, trying to find the right answer that would be the least revealing and painful. He decided not to twist the truth instead. "I don't know, was too young to be aware."

"I understand," Namjoon whispered, balling his hand into a fist when the hole was completely filled with dirt. He was sitting down now, both arms wrapped around his knees. "So you have a sister too? I'm assuming that she's breathing somewhere."

"She is," Taehyung chuckled at Namjoon's remark, smile dropping when he realized why he had said it that way. Releasing a heavy sigh, he grabbed a rock from the ground and materialized purple mist at the tip of his finger, writing down Agnes' name in the Vredian scripture. "But... we aren't exactly getting along. She hates me because I left her behind when I escaped Hel."

"Why exactly did you leave her?"

In usual cases, Taehyung would hiss at whoever would ask such an intrusive question but since it came from Namjoon, someone who closely related to him when it came to guilt over their sisters' current situation, he couldn't help but reply. "She didn't want to come."

Namjoon didn't push it any further and Taehyung was glad. After he finished engraving Agnes' name into the stone, he shoved it at the head of the grave, completing it. The two stared again, in dead silence.

"I know how it feels," Namjoon shattered the silence. Taehyung faced him and saw the strands of his purple hair fluttering in the wind, along with the leaves of his crown that swayed. His dimples were out, a nostalgic smile on his face. "Failing to protect your little sister, someone you were born to guard and guide... When Yuna died, the guilt was eating me up inside, it was slowly killing me, holding me back from my true potential as a wonder. But... now I realize that there's no use sulking, there's no use crying because of something out of my control. We just have to accept it. I don't know why your sister decided to stay in a cruel place instead of running with you, her older brother, and I won't ask why... but I'm sure she had reasons that were logical to her at that time. You should talk to her, Taehyung. Tell her that you meant good when you left. I'm pretty sure that you can mend your bond again, you're still blood siblings after all."

Taehyung stared at Namjoon the entire time and listened to every word, slowly realizing that he was right. The only way to repair his bond with Shay was to meet her and talk to her personally. It definitely wouldn't sound like a good idea to the others so he decided to keep it to himself. "You're right. I'll talk to her when I get the chance."

Another silence, this time more comfortable than the first, if they ignored Agnes' grave beneath their feet.

"You know, Taehyung, I really hated you when we first met," Namjoon's bluntness made Taehyung scowl and raise an eyebrow at Aarde's king. "You were such a grave reminder to me of myself that it annoyed me to the core. But... now that I know more about you, that we actually relate in some way, you're actually a good guy."

Not after you find out what my plan was. Taehyung wanted to say it but zipped his mouth instead. "I had the strong urge to end you when you punched me. I didn't because you prevented me from killing Jungkook so... yeah. Thanks? I guess."

"I made a promise to myself, you know? That I'd be everyone's foundation, that I'd be everyone's shield. I've failed to protect those I loved once and I won't fail again," Namjoon was standing up straight, voice laced with determination. Ah, indeed, this man was born to be a leader. "Also, I'm sorry for judging you way too quickly too. When I saw your hoodie and dark eyes, I assumed that you were some gothic emo ki–"

"Save the cheesy talk for later, bub, you've got a kingdom to reclaim," Taehyung held the edge of Namjoon's sleeve this time, purple smoke starting to rise underneath their feet. "Oh, and Namjoon?"

"Yeah?"

"Again, thanks."

-

Shay watched the holographic screen in disgust, curling her lips into a scowl as she watched Namjoon open the gates of the castle, revealing himself to the Aardeians and making them cheer. All the women were in the kingdom now, all rejoicing at the peace that had finally been granted. Just as he started to recite his speech as the official king of Aarde, she screamed and shot a laser beam from her palm, shattering the screen into bits.

"Weakling!," Shay hissed as she strapped on her boots, strands of her hair falling to her face. "To think that the best child soldier of Hel turned out to be a weakling. It's a shame that she had to be exterminated."

Mumbling incoherent words to herself, Shay passed by the mirror and caught sight of herself in the reflection. Since she was half undressed, she could see the skin of her bare stomach and arms, all littered with scars and bruises of different sizes and shapes. To her, it was a reminder of what she had to go through to get her position as one of the King's, her father's right-hand.

It also reminded Shay of her older brother Taehyung and how he decided to run away from the pain and suffering, instead of facing it like how a man like him should have, instead of going against it head-on and molding himself into a warrior like she was now.

Shay felt the anger bubbling in her stomach, rising to her face and making her cheeks turn red. Taehyung was her older brother yet he had ran away, leaving her behind with their father to rot. She whispered an enchantment, turning the mirror into a holographic screen, and saw him standing amongst the wonders, his face concealed by the hood, yet his dark eyes still glowed within the reflection. She balled her fists, growling.

"Traitor," Shay whispered under her breath and took her new staff, one more powerful and could hold more magic power, resting on the wall next to her bed. She held it tightly, the tip glowing a bright purple along with her fiery eyes. "Taehyung is a damn traitor. Leaving his sister behind for his own safety, relying on a gem he had absolutely no control over for power, basing his decisions off his so-called friends... a coward, a weakling! I'll kill him when I get the chance, I promise that. Who cares if he's my blood brother? Weaklings like him don't deserve to live."

After putting on her tights and cape, Shay exited the room was presented by an army of Helian soldiers so many that it extended all away to the other side of the room, which stretched out nearly a mile from when she stood. She cackled loudly, laughs echoing in the silent area, the thought of slaughtering Taehyung tickling her funny bone.

"Come forward, my soldiers," Shay raised her staff, the soldiers following by screaming a Vredeian battle cry. "Have no mercy. We sail for Bliksem."

-

A/N - Namjoon's arc has officially ended! We've hit chapter forty so we got about thirty left! Only three more kingdoms need to be reclaimed! :o

Guys please please vote for T7W on The Fiction Awards! I might drop out of the top three :( Votes are unlimited!

(Will insert fan art contest winner here after judging)

Next up: A sneak peak into the kingdom of thunder and the start of Jimin's arc!