A/N - I TRIED UPDATING RIGHT AFTER THE COMEBACK BUT I COULDN'T THINK STRAIGHT CKANAN so here's a 6k chap for y'all

Even though Jimin knew that the others could handle themselves, he still glanced behind him constantly because he was worried about his friends, worried that the masked woman would overpower them somehow. Still, he knew that he could trust them and if they worked together – more precisely, if Taehyung would cooperate – then the woman would stand absolutely no chance against them.

Jimin stared at the other people who had decided to join him and Kaeva, glad that they had decided to assist him. When he saw you struggling to stand even with the support of both Emily and Yoongi, you wondered who the masked woman was and why she was so intent on killing you. Since he had developed deep friendships with each one of you, he was anxious at how half of the group was out of his sight. Although, after thinking about it for a while, the thunder gem bearer realized that right now, the priority was to restore Bliksem and get Kaeva and himself to the tower safely.

Speaking of the Tower of Life, the explosions had strangely stopped, leaving just a single pillar of thick grey smoke coming from its right side. Of course, Jimin was glad that the Helians had stopped destroying the tower but the fact there were both good and bad reasons why didn't sit well with him.

Before Jimin could worry himself any further, he felt something wooden press against his chest, stopping him in his tracks. Emily was next to him, blocking his way with her wooden bow, dark eyes making it obvious that she was in full protector mode. "Jimin, look."

Jimin stared at Emily for a moment before he followed her gaze, eyes widening when he realized that they were in front of the tower, only being separated by a wide garden, one that was dotted with wilted grass and dry flowers, red brick roads covered with a thick layer of mold. He stared sadly, trying to imagine the garden in full bloom, when all the plants were bright and colorful, lively green grass dancing in the wind. But, no, now they were all dead. This alone made his blood boil, electricity sparking around his arms.

"I know," Kaeva spoke with a low voice and squeezed Jimin's arm in comfort. "What they did to Bliksem was horrible, Jimin. Did you know that we were crowned the most beautiful city of Vrede a few years back?"

Jimin held both of Kaeva's hands, gripping them tightly as he stared into her eyes. "I promise that I'll fix everything, alright?"

Kaeva nodded, a warm smile on her face. However, before Jimin could reply, Yoongi spoke in a snarling tone, almost mockingly, making the thunder gem bearer face his unamused expression with a raised eyebrow. It was a fact that the older boy had been acting strangely, he could tell the moment he reunited with the gang. "You're going to have to get passed those guards first before promising anything, marmalade."

"Did you just call Jimin a marmalade?," You asked with a snicker, Yoongi replying with a small smile. Jimin was about to question the nickname as well until he faced the tower's base and saw Helian soldiers lined up in front of the metal doors, all armed with spears, bows and swords. He sighed, knowing that breaking in isn't going to be easy.

"How are we supposed to get in there unharmed?," Kaeva whispered, making Jimin rack his brain and scan his surroundings, the same way everyone was. They were on a high area that could be considered as a cliff, approximately nine feet to the bottom, which would lead to a dark area in front of the tower's gate. Outside the fences were thick trees, light failing to penetrate through them.

At that moment, Jimin came up with a plan.

"Emily," Jimin called, catching the attention of the brown-haired woman. He gestured towards the line of Helian guards, more specifically the archers. "You think you could take them out from up here?"

Emily squinted her eyes and quickly scanned the area for a minute, Jimin noticing how her expression had turned into something a lot more serious after he had asked his question. She then pulled out an arrow from the quiver strapped to her back and stretched the string of her bow. "I'm positive. Why do you ask?"

"I'd like you to quietly take out all the archers while me and Kaeva climb down from the side of this cliff and pass through the trees," Jimin explained, everyone else humming in both awe and agreement at his plan. "Yoongi and Sky can—"

"They should come with you," Emily cut off Jimin, a dead serious look on her face.

"Em, you'll be all alone up here," You said worriedly as Emily just stared at the rocky ground with lips smacked together. "It isn't safe."

"No offense but if the Helians figure out your location and decide to attack you, I don't think you can fend them off all on your own," Yoongi deadpanned with a straight tone, everyone else nodding in agreement.

"Your friends are right, Emily," Kaeva spoke softly and Jimin could tell that she was still unsure about expressing herself in front of the others. Although, she was comfortable when the two of them were alone. "Please, do not sacrifice your own safety for our sake."

"Trust me, I'll be fine," Emily nodded and licked her lips right before you could protest, obviously already watching her targets like a hawk. The bow's string snapped as she released it, testing its durability. Jimin wondered if Jin's presence would have any made any difference but based on the look in her eyes, he didn't think there was anything that would make her change her decision. "Yoongi, promise me that you will protect my best friend no matter what."

"I promised Sky that on the day she agreed to be my girlfriend," Yoongi smirked as your cheeks turned beet red in embarrassment, both Jimin and Kaeva wilting just a bit out of cringe. Wrapping his arm around your shoulder, he released a chuckle. Jimin noticed that you didn't react to it. "She'll be safe with me."

"Em, be careful," You held Emily's arm, absolutely worried about your best friend.

"Always am," Emily released a light laugh before preparing more arrows. "Go, you guys can't afford to waste any more time."

Jimin glanced at the three before nodding and leading the way towards the trees, leaving Emily behind as she his herself behind the rocks. The cliff was steep so he was careful not to slip and fall, since the distance from his position to the ground was definitely going to lead to a broken bone or two. Neither of them could fly so they resorted to stepping on the rocks to climb downwards and Yoongi nearly slipped a couple of times. Thank God, he didn't, because he was at the highest point and would have probably fallen on everyone else.

Thankfully, the four were able to reach the ground safely and Jimin, who was staring at the rocky walls, couldn't believe that nothing bad had happened but he was glad. Facing the trees, he remembered what they were doing and reached for Kaeva's arm, instead having her hand grab his in a tight grip. Turning around, the thunder gem bearer saw her smiling at him and he smiled back.

Jimin made sure that you and Yoongi were still behind them before he continued to walk through the trees. All of them were quiet, not wanting to risk being spotted by the Helians. Due to the extreme silence, he heard the exact moment when Emily released an arrow, which amazed him since she was already far away.

Hiding behind some bushes and gesturing the others to follow, Jimin watched closely and wasn't even sure how he caught sight of the three wooden arrows piercing through the wind. He chewed on his bottom lip anxiously, hoping that everything would go according to plan.

As if Yoongi heard Jimin's thoughts, he asked: "Marmalade, what exactly is this plan of yours?"

"A distraction," Jimin simply replied smugly, which made Yoongi raise an eyebrow at him. The fire gem bearer attempted to question him, then the arrows landed right on the foreheads of three Helian archers.

Jimin released a loud gasp in awe at Emily's accuracy and watched the Helians panic as more arrows were shot towards them. Since the archers were all going down one by one, they couldn't think of how to get against it. In the end, the general screamed something at a few swordsmen and they marched to the gate, some to the forests.

"That's our clue to leave," You said as you gently held Yoongi's wrist and pulled him away, both Jimin and Kaeva following. "Is this part of your plan, Jimin?"

"Yeah, I thought that they'd clear out the entrance after getting ambushed by an unknown opponent," Jimin glanced at entrance, pushing away some leaves to reveal that it really was cleared out. Most of the Helians were stationed near the gate now. He smirked triumphantly. "Nice, I was right."

"Smart," Kaeva commented, making Jimin turn towards her with a smug look.

"Thanks."

After making sure that no Helians were looking their way, Jimin lead the path to the door, which stunned him once he saw it up close. The metal doors had no knobs or locks, only a single handle that was strangely made of copper. There were also lines engraved into the door, which crawled passed the metal and into the brick walls. Somehow, he could tell that this door won't open on its own.

Yoongi lightly pushed Jimin away, snapping him out of his state, and reached for the copper handle. "I don't understand why you guys won't just open the damn doo—"

As soon as Yoongi made contact with the doorknob, there were sparks and a loud explosion, making him fly backwards and crash to the ground. You tended to his aid whilst Jimin and Kaeva glanced at each other in confusion.

"Grey-haired man, are you okay?," Kaeva called out, Jimin snickering because of the nickname.

"It hurt like a bitch but I'm fine," Yoongi replied, grunting as he sat up, and Jimin wasn't sure if he was replying to Kaeva or reassuring you. "Why the hell is there electricity?"

Electricity. Jimin glanced back at handle, indeed seeing it spark a bit due to the electricity it was conducting. He stepped forward, Kaeva moving aside as he did. Taking deep breaths, he followed his gut and grabbed the handle with both of his hands, despite how both you and Kaeva were screaming at him not to.

Jimin's body jolted at the foreign electricity that had surged into him, eyes flashing yellow, yelping because he could actually feel the pain, which was strange since he normally didn't. He saw Kaeva approaching her from the corner of his eyes and acted quickly. "N-No, stay away!"

Kaeva halted, obviously torn between helping or not. Jimin gritted his teeth and stared back at the door, noting that the wires were glowing a bright white color now. Somehow, he realized what that meant and closed his eyes, focusing on the electricity flowing in him. The pain slowly subsided as he reversed the flow and leaned at the door, hearing a loud click as it was finally unlocked. He pushed it open and collapsed to the ground, wheezing out of exhaustion.

"Jimin!," You kneeled to the ground, flinching when you still saw him sparking. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," With the help of Kaeva, Jimin was able to stand up. He peeked through the darkness and hoped to see the tower's interior but sadly, he only saw darkness. "We should get inside."

The team wasted no time entering the tower and locking the doors behind them. Jimin turned around, frowning at the darkness but was reassured by Kaeva's tight grip on his arm. He faced his left, where he assumed the other two were standing. "Yoongi, could you light up the place a bit?"

"Sure," Yoongi muttered as a reply and snapped his fingers, a small flame lighting up in front of the four.

Jimin blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light, Yoongi lighting up more flames to illuminate the area even further. Surprisingly, there were no Helians inside the tower and the interior was barren, a lone spiral staircase resting in the middle. Even with the orange-haired boy's limited vision, he could see carvings in the walls, that of dancing men and women, clothes painted with bright colors.

In the midst of everyone staring, you walked towards the stairs, craning your neck upwards and squinting your eyes. "I can't see the top."

"It's best we start climbing," Yoongi shrugged, shuffling forward as well. "It's gonna be a long way."

Jimin wasn't sure how long they had been walking up the stairs but he felt like his legs were going to give out at any moment. He wished that he had brought along Hoseok, Jungkook or Taehyung, the three wonders who had the ability to fly. Yoongi looked close to passing out and so did you. Only Kaeva seemed unfazed. Wow, that durability.

Nearly crawling to the top, Jimin sighed out in relief when he saw another set of metal doors at the end of the steps. Glancing behind him, he noticed that you and Yoongi were conversing about something but it was out of his earshot, so it became a mystery to him. Instead, he looked at Kaeva, who seemed unsure of what they were doing right now but he squeezed her shoulder, making sure that it would reassure her.

Jimin and Kaeva pushed the door open together and the thunder gem bearer was glad that it didn't have a complicated lock like the what the entrance had. They were instantly hit with cold wind, their breaths fogging up upon entering the room. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings, only snapping back to reality when he heard the door slam loudly behind them.

Jumping a bit out of shock, Jimin instantly turned and was horrified to see that both you and Yoongi were outside. He banged his fists on the metal, which hurt but it wasn't really important right now, and screamed. "Yoongi?! Sky?! Are you guys alright?!"

There was a few moments of painful silence, making Jimin worry about you and Yoongi even more. Kaeva, however, was trembling next to him, eyes widened in fear. "I-It's her."

"Her?," Jimin asked, a bit terrified by how dreadful Kaeva sounded. Just before he could question her even more, a gust of wind blew from behind them, accompanied by soft footsteps that became closer by the second. Gritting his teeth and setting aside his fear, he stepped in front of the dancer with bared fangs, holding a protective stance.

"Greetings, Park Jimin."

Jimin blinked since he could not tell where the voice was coming from and that fact made a cold chill run down his spine. Somehow, the room was illuminated and he could see wires taking up every space on the ground, all pulsating with a yellow glow. It all connected to machine at the center of the room, one that looked like a long metal rod with a glass head at the top, another bulb-shaped copper resting inside. It looked like an object that should be producing electricity but there was nothing in it.

And, behind the generator, Jimin finally saw the voice's owner — a woman in dark clothing and a red blindfold tied over her eyes. Kaeva started to whimper.

"I have been waiting for you, Jimin," The woman started to move, her dress concealing her feet, giving Jimin and Kaeva the illusion that she was floating as her figure partly disappeared behind the generator. "Do not worry about the fire gem bearer and the guardian. Although you cannot see them, I can assure you that they are fine."

"Who are you?," Jimin spat, Kaeva wildly shaking her head next to him. He raised an eyebrow at her questionably. "Kaeva, what's wrong?"

"Jimin, you don't understand. She... she is much more powerful than you think," Kaeva was starting to tremble again and this time, Jimin's eyes widened when he realized that the woman before them was the current ruler of Bliksem, the person responsible for her suffering and the destruction of his kingdom. Facing the enchantress once more — finally noticing the silver-based glittery crown on her head, decorated with wires that ultimately coiled around a yellow stone, one that replicated the thunder gem — he was suddenly filled with rage, hands balling into fists.

"You," Jimin hissed despite Kaeva's please, his anger rising by the second. "You're the one who ruined Bliksem."

"Not exactly ruined, per se. Everything needs a little bit of darkness and I, upon arrival, found Bliksem too flashy," The enchantress suddenly appeared right next to Jimin, making both him and Kaeva yelp a bit out of shock. She tilted her head, the image of her red blindfold up close somehow chilling to them, especially the smile she had, it was full of mischief. "I merely fixed it."

Jimin attempted to charge at the enchantress but was stopped by Kaeva, who had blocked his way with her arm. The dancer was already teary-eyed and he could tell that she was extremely intimidated by the woman's presence. This made Jimin's expression soften in sympathy.

The enchantress, however, snapped her head upwards like a hound, slowly facing Kaeva, which was making Jimin's alarms go off because it was impossible for her to see with that blindfold on. "Dear sweet Kaeva is here as well? What a surprise. I thought I had you thrown out after slashing your ankle? Will I hear you scream once mo—"

"Shut up," Jimin hissed once more, voice laced with fury. Kaeva looked like she wanted to say something as well but ended up holding herself back. "Don't you dare hurt her."

There were a few moments of silence, giving Jimin the opportunity to actually think. He thought about the enchantress, why she was wearing a thick blindfold and why she could still see despite wearing it. He wondered why Kaeva was so terrified because other than the fact that she was responsible for her injury, he knew based on her reactions that there was something much more.

Suddenly, some of the wires on the ground dislodged from the concrete and wrapped around Kaeva, pulling her away from Jimin's hold, hands desperately reaching out for each other, as she screamed in terror, releasing a yelp of pain once she was pinned to the wall, wooden staff falling to the floor.

"Kaeva!," Jimin tried to come to Kaeva's aid but was halted by wires as well. They wrapped around his legs, rooting him to place, and crawled up his body until they reached his neck. He could feel the wires tighten and loosen in a pattern around his neck, as if teasing him of the fact that he could be killed at the moment.

"Forgive me for my rudeness for I have not introduced myself," The enchantress moved once again, now staring right at Jimin, who couldn't even turn to face Kaeva because of the wires fixated behind his head. She was silent too, making him even more anxious. He tried squirming out of the wires but to no avail. "I am Illusia, daughter of one of Hel's most powerful magicals, member of the Great Six. I am impressed by your friends for having defeated Markus and Agnes, who, despite not being part of the magic council, were also strong magicals. It makes me wonder about your strength as well, Park Jimin."

Jimin kept eye contact with Illusia, not wanting to look afraid in her point of view. He watched closely as she walked around in front of him, seemingly thinking of a thousand torture methods in her head. He hoped not. "If my friends can do it, so can I."

"Oh?," Illusia chuckled darkly and slid in front of Jimin, harshly grabbing his cheeks with a tight grip of a hand as she showed off a sly smile. "We'll see about that."

Illusia slowly untied her blindfold and disturbingly enough, Jimin felt compelled to look, to see what really was hidden underneath the red cloth. Kaeva was screaming at him but even her voice sounded far away. At least he knew that she was alive.

"Jimin, no! Don't look into her eyes!"

Too late. Jimin was already staring into bright and beautiful purple orbs and felt himself chipping away slowly at the sight. He didn't even flinch at the wires that were starting to cover his face. Kaeva was still screaming. All the sounds around him were starting to fade away.

And then he was gone.

-

When Jimin opened his eyes, he was in an unfamiliar room. The first thing he did was look down at his hands and feet, confusion hitting him since he remembered being restrained with wires and Kaeva screaming but now, he was somewhere different, alone too. He was also wearing weirdly shiny black shoes and slick dark jeans, which he definitely wasn't wearing a few moments ago.

Jimin heard a crackle from his hand, making him glance at his sparking thunder gem and realize that he was wearing a yellow cape with fuzzy white fur at the edge of the cloth. As if everything pieced together, he looked around, suddenly recognizing the throne room he was currently in. The walls were golden, nearly blinding him due to the brightness, a red carpet spread out before him. Across him was a painting and he had to lean forward to squint his eyes to ensure that he was looking at it correctly.

Indeed, Jimin was staring at a painted portrait of himself wearing the same cape, Bliksem's crown resting on his orange hair. With both hands clasped over his stomach, he had on a bright smile. Huh.

"What the hell?," Jimin whispered under his breath when he pat his own head and felt the crown, taking it to stare at it, baffled. Due to this, a single thought crossed through his mind. What was happening?

Hearing noise from the window next to him, Jimin put the crown back on, gulping as he slowly walked towards the balcony. Somehow, each step filled him with more dread, his gut telling him to stop but his curiosity making him push forward. In the end, after staring at the bright skies of Bliksem, he was gripping the balconies railings and was now staring down at the crowd of Blikseians that were quite literally looking up to him.

"Look, everyone! It's our king!"

Jimin watched with a shaky breath as the Blikseians cheered for him with a mixture of joyful screams and whistles. A normal person, like Hoseok, would have enjoyed a sight like this but no, oh no, the image of so many people depending on him for their own safety and happiness suffocated him. It made his throat close and sucked the breath out of his lungs. They were all watching him, he was under everyone's eyes. No, no, no. Not this again. This can't be.

Stepping backwards slowly, Jimin was close to tears as the crowd seemingly got louder, even when he was moving farther away. He shook his head, not wanting to listen to any of it. He couldn't take it, he couldn't take the responsibility and the spotlight. Just before he could scream, he felt himself slip, and suddenly he was falling.

Jimin had a hard time processing what just happened because somehow, a hole had appeared on the floor of the throne room and now he was sliding down some kind of tube leading to an unknown location. It didn't help that he was sliding on his stomach so he couldn't see whatever his destination was.

Finally, it ended and Jimin felt he had just popped out of a can when his sliding journey ended. However, before he could fall into the room, he felt the cape snag, making him hang five feet above ground as it suffocated him literally.

Jimin held back his sobs as he desperately untied the cape, praying to God that he wouldn't choke to death. Thankfully, he was able to free himself, which in turn resulted into a bad fall that made a sharp pain electrocute throughout his back. Grunting in pain, he sat up, finding himself in a large empty white room.

"Hello?," Jimin massaged his arm, which was aching due to the fall. His voice echoed, the thought of being completely alone in an unknown location terrifying him to the core. "I-Is there anyone here?"

"Jimin."

Ears perking up like a deer's, Jimin recognized the voice instantly. Truthfully, he was expecting almost anything in the messed up world he was currently in. He expected you or Yoongi or Namjoon to call his name, expected Kaeva to cry into his ear, heck he wouldn't be surprised if Manager Kang came into the picture somehow.

But not Jihyun. Not his little brother.

"Big bro."

"J-Jihyun," Jimin hurriedly stood up, nearly slipping and completely forgetting the possibility of having major injuries. "Jihyun, I'm coming! Big brother is coming!"

Jimin panted deeply as he ran across the seemingly endless white room, Jihyun's voice repeatedly chanting his name. He could see the silhouette of his younger brother, it was there, so close yet so out of reach. Each step he made felt heavy and agonizing, like the floor was stretching out, preventing him from reaching his destination.

And, after minutes of torture, Jimin finally made it to Jihyun, who had his back facing him. He held his knees and caught his breath for a while before walking up to him. White polo, blue jeans and red sneakers — it was exactly what his brother was wearing on the day he died. That fact alone made him shiver.

"...Jihyun," Despite how Jimin's gut was screaming at him to turn around and walk away but this was Jihyun, his younger brother, someone he missed dearly, someone he longed to hold and see again. He held his shoulders, turning him around swiftly. "Hey, Ji—"

What greeted Jimin was Jihyun's rotting face, eyes glazed white and horrid wounds dotting his face, along with chipping yellow teeth and a few maggots crawling inside the decaying flesh. Screaming and nearly barfing his guts out, the thunder gem bearer fell to the ground on his ass and started crawling backwards out of shock and fear.

"What's wrong, big bro?," Jihyun's voice sounded garbled, blood dripping down his jaw. He was walking towards Jimin, slowly. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Jimin yelped when his back hit a wall, which made him turn out of confusion because he was pretty sure that there wasn't a wall behind him a few minutes ago. That's when he saw it. The room was shrinking, walls literally closing in on him.

"Jimin, baby," A female voice, his mother's. Although every particle of Jimin's body told him not to face his mother, he did anyways and saw her rotting yet lively corpse inside the wall, reaching out for him as it got closer. "You were already making us proud. Why did you stop?"

Not knowing what to say, Jimin only screamed when a pair of grey arms wrapped around his chest. Pushing them away, he fell to the ground and saw his decaying father reaching out to him as well. "My son, you promised that you'd live my dream for me, didn't you?"

Jimin hugged his knees to his chest as the walls grew closer, his family's voices getting louder, more demanding and more garbled. He covered his ears, fresh hot tears streaming down his face as he whimpered. "N-No. Stop it... Stop it! Stop it!"

Silence. Jimin's breaths shook as he continued to cry, only realizing that the overwhelming noises had stopped after a few minutes. He then noticed that he was wrapped inside a soft yellow blanket and that the air was cold and crisp. After pulling it off him, his eyes widened.

Jimin was sitting on a small blue couch, his legs crossed on top of another, a brown coffee table in front of him. On it were several notebooks, all containing what seemed like drafts of stories, and pencils scattered about. The walls were decorated with light blu wallpaper and portraits of him and his family, bookshelves stacked with ornaments and figurines. Behind him, the starry night sky could be seen. To top it all off, he was wearing his favorite childhood beige sweater. He was in his house back in Busan.

"Isn't this what you want?"

Hearing his own voice coming from somewhere else, Jimin was at the peak of his confusion. Across him, on identical couch, was himself. This other Jimin looked exactly like him, except he wasn't crying, instead there was a mischievous smile on his lips.

"No Manager Kang to order you around like a dog, no paparazzi tailing you wherever you go, no media watching your every move, silence and serenity," The other Jimin smirked slyly, leaning forward with a tilted head. "Peace and freedom to do whatever you wish. It is your heart's greatest desire."

"And?," Jimin said with a loud sniffle, failing to look intimidating due to his tears but he did his best to at least sound firm. He knew that the other him was Illusia in disguise, there was no doubt about it, but a part of him was telling him that he was facing the personification of his own inner demons. He hoped not.

"Your attempt to be serious is hilarious," The other Jimin cackled, leaning backwards, the sofa creaking upon his movement. He raised two fingers, tapping them in a mocking way. "I am about to offer you two choices. One, keep the gem, keep doubting your role as the wonder of thunder and drown in your poisonous pool of anxiety and fear, fail as a king due to your paranoia of attention and responsibility, have Bliksem crumble once more in the palm of your hand. You will be remembered as the man who destroyed his own kingdom. Two, hand over the gem to me and I can grant you the serendipity you've longed for, the peace you've craved since you took your first breath. Sadly, I cannot give life to your family because not even the most powerful spell in all of the universe can go against the laws of death. However, I can get rid of their expectations by erasing that part of your memory completely. I can also help you return to Earth and you will no longer be the Park Jimin, idol, singer, dancer and entertainer. You will be just Park Jimin, a simple boy from the quiet city of Busan who spends his time writing and gardening. Which one will you choose, hm? You've only got one shot."

Jimin licked his lips, weighing the options in his head. Freedom. That one word sounded so sweet and tempting, like honey sticks on a plate before him, begging to be eaten. It was almost as if he was taken over by the idea of being free as he leaned towards the second option. He fiddled with his ring, the thunder gem glowing. The other Jimin was staring at him expectantly, a palm spread open with fingers gesturing at him to hand over the gem.

This is what I want. Jimin was slowly slipping the ring off his finger, which clutched onto his skin as if telling him to stop.

The other Jimin stared hungrily, smile widening and poking his cheeks, eyes dark and filled with evil. "That's it, Jimin. The gem is mine."

Jimin was in a daze the entire time, as if he had been possessed by an evil spirit. Freedom, yes, freedom. It was in his grasp, it was right there. The ring had almost slipped off his finger when a female voice rang, echoing throughout the room, making him pause.

"Jimin!," It took a few moments for Jimin to realize who the voice's owner was — Kaeva. Putting the ring back on and making the other Jimin frown, he looked around, failing to find her.

"Kaeva?"

"Macht, Jimin, I don't know if you can hear me or not but please!," Kaeva's voice cracked in desperation. Jimin faced the other him, who was just looking at him blankly and tapping the arm of the sofa, legs crossed and lips sealed shut, obviously unamused with what was going on. "Don't listen to Illusia! She's the master of illusions and uses your own thoughts against you! Please, please, don't believe what she's trying to drill into your head. You shouldn't be going through this alone. With me and your friends by your side, you don't have to suffer yourself. There are people out there who love you, even when you don't love yourself. Remember when we spoke to each other in the forest and you called yourself a simple man? You aren't! You're so much more, Jimin! You have the ability to do things according plan, you're the sweetest and kindest man I've ever met. You're special. Please, I—"

"Shut up," The other Jimin whispered, just as Kaeva's words came into a halt. He clapped as his hands as if he was dusting dirt off them. "Now that she's done babbling her nonsense, your choice is?"

Jimin stared at the ground for a moment before facing the other Jimin, who was still giving him gestures with his fingers. He blinked, remembering Namjoon's explanation of how Agnes nearly convinced him to give up his gem. Namjoon. He suddenly had a major flashback of the earth gem bearer and how he had thanked him for being such a good friend to him.

"Jimin, you were one of the people who helped me the most, you know?"

"That's what friends are for, right?"

Eyes welling up with tears, Jimin released that his initial decision would have meant him taking his friendship with Namjoon and the rest of the wonders for granted. It meant him being selfish, only caring about the choice that was beneficial to himself. All those late night meetings with the Single Men Club, with semi-drunken Namjoon complains about the existence of mosquitoes whilst Jungkook, who claimed that getting drunk was impossible, judged him from the side. Most of the joyful memories he had now were thanks to you, Emily and the wonders. He just couldn't throw all that away.

A choice. Jimin thought about it, how he always thought that he didn't have a choice, how he never had any control of the situations thrown at him, how he had no control over the deaths of his family and that becoming a celebrity was a must, that he had no choice but to become one. He never chose to lose his family or be blessed with magical abilities or to be destined as the king of an alien planet, yet here he was. Why? Why did he never have an option?

This time, however, something was different.

"I'm not used to this, you know?," Jimin said out loud and faced the other him, who was still sitting on the couch with both arms crossed over his chest, eyebrows raised questionably. He balled his fists, gritting his teeth with glowing yellow eyes. "All throughout my life, I was never given a choice. I always had to deal with whatever life decided to throw at me, whether it was my family's deaths or being forced to become the media's dog. I always thought of myself as a hopeless follower, someone who would never take charge and if given the opportunity, I'd fuck up like I did before. You've showed me a lot through this illusion of yours and because of it, I've realized a lot of things."

Jimin's gem started to crackle with electricity, making the other Jimin's eyes widen in both fear and shock. The thunder gem bearer smirked, knowing that he was currently winning.

"First of all, my family. They'd be proud of whatever I did with my life. Just because they're dead doesn't mean I should live with the burden of reenacting my father's dream. Manager Kang made me think that way but he's wrong. They aren't like that and I was too blind to see it," The other Jimin stood up, face contorted with anger. Jimin's smile grew. "Second, just because I fucked up before doesn't mean I'll fuck up again. Sure, being a king of a magical alien kingdom seems like something overwhelming but both Hoseok and Namjoon pulled it off so why can't I? I mean, I never chose to be a wonder, but I'll never know unless I try."

"You—," The other Jimin attempted to step forward but paused when the ground beneath his feet started to crack, along with the walls and everything else in the room.

"So, Illusia, I thank you," Jimin watched in amusement as the other him started to panic, his thunder gem sparking even more. "I thank you for giving me a choice and this is mine. I'm keeping my gem and I'm facing my responsibilities head-on."

"You idiot!," The other Jimin, no, Illusia in disguise screamed as the whole room started to shake violently. "You have no idea what you're doing! You will fail, Park Jimin, just like all your other friends will!"

"How are you so sure? The last time I checked, you're an illusionist and not a fortune teller," Jimin rubbed his palms together, his thunder gem sparking brightly, nearly blinding both of them. Before the whole room was basked by the light, he spoke his last words: "Besides, I know what I'm doing. I'm breaking out of the illusion."

-

Jimin woke up with a loud gasp, feeling free from the wires that restrained him, which confused him. Realizing that he was on the ground, laying on his stomach, he looked behind him and saw the wires that were restraining him, which were torn and destroyed. He assumed that he had unconsciously freed himself right after breaking out of the illusion.

"Jimin!," Upon hearing his own name, Jimin turned around and saw Kaeva, who was still pinned to the wall, a cheek scratched and tears streaming down her face. "Thank Macht..."

"Impossible!," This time, Jimin turned towards Illusia, whose dark eyes were filled with rage and fury, pointed bared, which completely contradicted the calm demeanor she had when they met. She was looking right at him yet he did not feel anything. This told him that he had found a way to be immune. "You are a Leveain! How could the likes of you be able to break out of my spell, when nobody else has?!"

"Didn't you say it yourself, Illusia?," Jimin cracked his knuckles and cracked his neck, electricity surging through his limbs and making the wires below his feet glow. His canine teeth grew into fangs, yellow fur returning to his face and arms. He growled like an animal, which obviously made Illusia flinch. "I'm the Park Jimin, true king of Bliksem."

-

A/N - DID YOU SEE MY BAG DID YOU SEE MY BAG IT'S FULL OF TROPHIES MIC DROP MIC DROP

Anyways next chapter concludes Jimin's arc ft the big fight! This was pretty hard to write because of the comeback so I hope this chapter actually makes sense ;;

Speaking of the comeback, Her has broken a ton of records so far and so has DNA, which already bagged the most number of views for a kpop mv in 24 hours!!! Keep slaying boys!

And when I asked for a diss track I didn't expect to be roasted wtf

Also I'm so glad that BTS saved the secondhand smokers' song omg Best of Me is a bop!!! The whole album is a bop!!!!!

I'll sign off before I fangirl even more lol see y'all in the next chap!

Lastly YOLO YOLO YO YOLO YOLO YO