"Are you sure that there isn't any other way to travel to Tranen?," Yoongi asked desperately as he shivered, more color draining from his face with each passing second. He was standing next to Jin, who was thankfully letting him lean on his broad shoulders in case he'd lose his balance. He didn't exactly feel the best, both physically and emotionally, and having a large body stretching out to infinity around him wasn't helping either. "You know, something that doesn't involve diving?"

"We aren't diving. We're submarining, if that's even a term," Namjoon said as he passed by while carrying large and obviously heavy boxes. Since Taehyung wanted the deck to be cleared out before Greta goes into submarine mode, the gang were currently doing the work. Yoongi wasn't because he felt like taking a step would make him barf and nobody wanted puke on the floor. Jin insisted on being his moral and physical support. "And Tranen is underwater so... I'm afraid that there's no other way."

"Namjoon's right, Yoongi," Jimin spoke from somewhere and Yoongi had to do a double take when he saw the boy sitting on top of Namjoon's stacked boxes, the latter giving no reaction. The thunder gem bearer had his head bent downwards, his orange fringe nearly covering his eyes, and it looked like he was scribbling something on a notebook. Then, he turned towards the two, a bright smile on his face. "Don't worry about it, we'll make sure that you'll be alright. You can trust us."

Trust. The word itself struck through Yoongi's chest, the pain shooting all throughout his body, heart aching. It made him turn towards you and Emily, the both of you pushing some boxes to the storage located next to the captain's quarters. The fire gem bearer actually caught of you glancing at him and a small part him was hoping that he'd give you a loving expression or anything that wasn't filled with anger or hate. However, you just turned away blankly and it felt like his heart had been stomped on with spiked shoes.

Yoongi blinked rapidly because he could feel tears forming in his eyes. He undoubtedly loved you with all his heart and right now, it didn't matter if you felt the same or not. He, was in fact, at the deepest layer of sadness but at the same time, he was also filled with hatred. Of course, it wasn't directed towards you. He hated how he no longer had the right to call you his, that there was no more reason to call you babe. He hated how his relationship with you had crumbled down and he hated how despite loving you, it still lacked trust.

And what Yoongi hated the most was the fact that the main root of his argument with you was one person. Taehyung was behind the captain's wheel, chattering with Jungkook about navigations as if he wasn't aware of being one of, if not the lone cause of his suffering. It made him ball his fists, grit his teeth, as his eyes glowed a bright orange. His fury was consuming him. His gem flickered purple.

"—gi," Feeling someone rocking his shoulders, Yoongi angrily turned around and saw Jin staring at him in concern. At that moment, he looked down, eyes widening when he realized that he was burning the wooden floor with his feet. "Yoongi, calm down."

"Sorry," Yoongi mumbled, not questioning Jin's words because he was sure that the water gem bearer had figured out most of the situation, despite him not saying any details. Jin didn't reply, instead he nodded before giving the shorter boy a sympathetic look.

Comfort from a friend. Yoongi wasn't sure if he had ever experienced that before meeting the wonders. Jin was smiling at him. Maybe, just maybe, he had finally found a good friend.

"Taehyung, the deck is clear!," Hoseok announced after setting down the last stack of boxes in front of the storage room, you and Emily pushing then inside. He was floating in mid-air, hovering just in front of the captain and his first mate.

"Good," Taehyung nodded and Yoongi frowned because a thank you would at least be a more polite thing to say. He glanced over his shoulder and at Jungkook, who was typing something on his navigation system. "Have you figured out how to activate the submarine option yet?"

"I almost got it, I think," Jungkook mumbled as a reply and continued typing, his eyebrows scrunched and wings folded in a cross. Yoongi noticed that it only happened when the angel was fully concentrating on something. "Wait— it's denying my access."

Taehyung raised an eyebrow and walked towards Jungkook, letting purple mist take over the captain's wheel. He leaned in and stared at the flashing red holographic screen with squinted eyes and scowled loudly. "What are you talking about?"

"The password is your name, isn't?," Jungkook questioned, which Taehyung didn't respond to. Instead, he leaned lower silently and Yoongi, who was watching the scene closely due to his growing suspicion, heard four beeps, then a ding. The angel's eyes widened and the fire gem bearer raised an eyebrow. He felt like those four beeps were important. "Oh."

"Everyone, hold onto something!," Taehyung announced, not sparing any glances towards the stunned Jungkook, before returning to the captain's wheel and grabbing the handles tightly, face contorted in extreme focus. "And stay away from the railings."

Just when Yoongi was about to question Taehyung's words, a loud slashing sound from ahead made him look up. At first, he couldn't process how the foremast was slowly sinking into the ship's body along with the main mast but when the ship shook violently, he realized what was going on. Being pulled backwards by Jin, he saw small holes open on the sides of the deck, bending metal rods rising from it. The fire gem bearer looked around, counting six of them. Both masts made a loud clicking noise until beams shot out of it and struck the metal rods. It formed a glowing purple veil, which connected into a sphere.

Yoongi heard what sounded like scraping wood and saw the bowsprit splitting into half, glowing purple before bending into the shape of a snake ready to pounce — the brand of Hel. The wooden body of the ship also opened its compartments to reveal huge propellers at each side, water splashing and making Yoongi nearly scream once drops of it hit him.

"Whoa, that's so cool!," Jimin squealed from out of Yoongi's view, followed by the sound of a pencil scribbling on paper.

"Wait, Hoseok, don't touch that!," Namjoon screamed from somewhere, making Yoongi turn towards him and see Hoseok pressing his palm on the veil. Wait, what?

"Namjoon, it's alright," Hoseok replied without turning around as the others stared at him in shock. The air gem bearer pushed his glasses up and stared at the veil with a raised eyebrow, obviously thinking deeply. "Hm, so this veil has the smooth texture of glass yet also has the details of a forcefield. Interesting. The ship's architect is a magical genius."

"Yoongi," Jin called, making Yoongi face the water gem bearer questionably. The blonde man still had the same sympathetic expression on his face, the forcefield — or glass, he wasn't really sure what to call it — glowing behind him, which emphasized his pale skin. He looked so princely that the fire gem bearer scoffed in his head. "I think we're going to submerge in the water now. I know how iffy you get when it comes to water. Are you sure that you're going to be alright?"

To be honest, Yoongi knew that he definitely wasn't going to be alright and it's not because of all the water surrounding him. He wasn't sure how he was going to continue an adventure to save the world right after he just lost his own. He wasn't sure how he was going to face you without tearing up, without thinking of how he could have avoided such a tragedy. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle being around Taehyung without thinking of punching him across the face with a flaming fist. He wasn't sure how he was going to bottle up all the complicated emotions he was feeling at the moment.

But there was no choice. With two worlds at stake, Yoongi knew that he had to pull himself together.

"Yeah, Jin, I'll be fine."

He just had to keep trying.

-

Jin felt like the most refreshed man in all of the galaxy once Greta fully submerged into the Kristal Sea, it's propellers slowly moving the ship downwards. He was in love with the sight of the sparkling sea water and ocean blue color. Different species of fish were swimming around, making him feel like he was in an aquarium, but instead of being uncomfortable, he was in awe. He was amazed at how the sea creatures looked similar to those back on Earth but still have details that make them different. A creature that looked like a hammerhead shark had passed by — making Hoseok scream — but it had green skin and four eyes.

Most of the gang were watching the fish swim by as if they were in a museum, with the exception of Taehyung captaining the boat and Yoongi going back to his room to avoid puking. There was a silence as they appreciated the sight, even though Hoseok looked like he was going to pee himself any second.

"We're already pretty deep underwater. Greta has a special enchantment that protects it from sea pressure so I assure you that our brains won't implode any time soon," Jungkook said suddenly, shattering the silence and making everyone stare at him in confusion. The angel shrugged, his wings folding behind him. "Namjoon was asking."

"I didn't say anything?," Namjoon's statement came out as a question instead, an awkward smile on his face. Jin craned his neck and noticed an orange blob bouncing around behind the earth gem bearer, realizing that it was Jimin after a few seconds.

"I heard you think about it," Jungkook shrugged once more. "Sorry, can't really do anything about that."

Jin was pretty sure that you had asked something about Jungkook's powers but he unintentionally tuned it out as he walked towards Jimin, curious at what he was doing. Truthfully, he wanted to check up on Yoongi but he was sure that he needed some time alone right now. Emily, who was standing next to you, glanced at him before smiling softly. The thunder gem bearer was walking back and forth in the same area whilst scribbling on a little notepad, something he had been doing since this morning. "What's keeping you so occupied, Jimin?"

Jimin shrieked, releasing a loud eh before hugging the notebook close to his chest, his pencil spinning as it dropped to the floor. Once he realized he was facing an amused Jin, he sighed before picking up his pencil. Noticing that he could fold his body in half, the water gem bearer noted that he was flexible too. "You scared me!"

"Sorry," Jin replied sheepishly and watched Jimin flip through his notebook. "I just noticed that you've been writing on that journal since this morning."

"Oh, this isn't a journal," Jimin pointed out before fully opening the notebook and facing it towards Jin, who saw amazing sketches of some of what they have seen so far, like Mathilde, the Tower of Life and the hammerhead shark, alongside notes scribbled on each side. "It's my sketchbook. I'm taking note of everything we've seen and been through so far."

"May I ask why?," Jin questioned before politely asking for the sketchbook. Once Jimin passed it to him, he flipped through all the pages, seeing drawings of each wonder, and of you and Emily, which made him smile. All the details and character points were there, telling the water gem bearer that he was a good artist. What he did pay attention to was the full body sketch of a woman in a dress, with notes like red hair and cat eyes at the side, along with a single name. "You drew Kaeva pretty well."

Jimin squinted his eyes at Jin for a few seconds before his jaw dropped in realization, cheeks flaring and turning beet red. He snatched the notebook from the water gem bearer's hands before hugging it close to his chest. However, he didn't respond to the statement about Kaeva, instead he talked about something else. Sneaky. "Since I was young, I've always dreamt of writing and publishing my own book. I'm planning on turning all of our experiences into a story, except that it's all real. You know, to share the beauty of Vrede with Earth... and maybe even the Vredeians themselves, if I somehow find a way to translate my work into Vredeian, that is."

A dream. Listening to Jimin made Jin remember his own dream, of how he always reminisced himself as a chef of a five-star restaurant, spending his days surrounded by the aroma of spices and cooking for the pleasure of his customers. He remembered the day his father won the election and how he felt joy yet also despair, because he knew that he, the only son, had to follow the political footsteps. The young Jin knew that his dream to cook for the rest of his life was no longer reachable. Because he was the senator's son, he couldn't afford such a thing. And, knowing that Jimin was now doing what his heart desired the most made him happy. Happy. Deep down, was he really happy? Even if he wasn't sure, he had to make others think so. "That's good. You're doing what you want."

"You should have seen me back when I was still acting," Jimin scoffed to himself in an amusing manner and Jin could tell that he was being sarcastic. "I'm sure that you'd say something else. Manager Kang was spoon feeding me like I was an idiot without a brain."

During some small talk, Jimin had told Jin about his life as a celebrity, so the water gem bearer wasn't surprised with what he heard. He clasped his hands behind his back before smiling softly. "It doesn't matter now, does it? You've made up your mind for the better."

"Yeah... Yeah, I have," Jimin trailed off with a smirk, seemingly thinking of something. He then faced Jin before running a hand through his orange hair, exposing his forehead for a few seconds. "Thanks."

Jin nodded as a sign of welcome but in that moment of silence, he had a major flashback of his life back on Earth. He remembered his parents, who were most probably grieving after he faked his own death. He remembered Ross and Foy, his close friends he had abandoned in exchange for a good image. He remembered Sam, his butler who he had failed to save. He remembered being happy yet he remembered being not. He remembered smiling despite all the pain. He remembered crying himself to sleep.

Jungkook looked at Jin's direction, sadness evident in his features. He didn't say anything, however, instead he tapped on the holographic screen before facing Taehyung, who was staring blankly into space. "Tae, I'm getting a transmission."

Taehyung snapped out of his trance and continued to handle the wheel with one hand. He didn't turn towards Jungkook. "What's the queen saying?"

"How did you know that Tranen has a queen?," Taehyung stared at Jungkook, telling the angel that his question was going to remain unanswered. So, the blonde boy sighed loudly instead. "She herself isn't sending a message but one of her men is. They're asking who we are and why we're entering the kingdom."

Taehyung scanned the area and glanced at everyone on the deck before replying to Jungkook in pure Vredeian. Of course, Jin found this suspicious because he was free to speak in English yet he chose not to. It made him think that the darkness gem bearer was hiding something from them, something he didn't want anyone but the angel to know.

Jungkook stared at Taehyung with a meaningful look before he nodded slowly before relaying the message to the transmitter. Then, after a few moments of silence, he looked up, his voice booming all throughout the ship. "Guys! Heads up, we're about to enter Tranen!"

Jin felt like he had been struck by lightning because he was suddenly recharged, all suspicion towards Taehyung flying out of the window. He ran across the deck, passed a confused Namjoon and a surprised Emily, and stood atop the railings to get a better view of Tranen. He could already see the silhouette of buildings at the rocky sea bottom, his gem glowing powerfully blue due to his excitement.

"You're pretty excited, huh?," Emily spoke as she climbed up the railings, Jin helping her up once he saw her.

"Yeah," Jin smiled as Tranen's kingdom slowly got closer. His heart was pounding at the mixture of excitement and anxiety he was currently feeling. "I am."

Finally, Tranen fully came into Jin's view, his heart stopping at the water kingdom's beauty and at the back of his mind, he wondered why Bliksem was named Vrede's most beautiful city. The first thing he saw were the shiny gates and pointed fences that stretched out of his view, all shimmering in the water. Dotted with white pearls, it was designed to resemble waves flowing towards the center of the gate, which had a water-drop dotted with snowflakes — the symbol of Tranen. Stationed at each side of the gates were two guards wearing helmets that looked like curved seashells, except there were spikes coiled upwards to resemble horns, a long pointed spear in their hands. They had pale skin, blue eyes, scales across their shoulders and arms and the most unusual detail of all — they had seahorse tails instead of legs and feet, the shiny scales blending with the flesh of their torso.

"Are those seahorse hybrids?," Yoongi suddenly spoke, shocking the couple and making them jump a bit. Jin turned to the side and found the fire gem bearer standing there with a pout, both palms pressed on the glass. "To be honest, I ain't surprised."

"Were you standing there this whole time?"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"They're letting us in?," You asked, making Jin face the seahorse men and seeing them open the gates without question, your hair down on your shoulders. Obviously, a majority of the group was confused because they weren't interrogated or investigated. "Just like that."

"I convinced them to let us in," Taehyung deadpanned as he leaned on the captain's wheel, head tilted to the side, brown fringe swaying. Jin noticed both you and Yoongi staring at him intently, the tension so thick that it was suffocating him. Still, the others somehow did not notice it. "Don't ask why."

Those words alone seemed to have convinced everyone to zip their lips because there was a silence as Greta slowly entered the city of Tranen, bubbles shooting out behind them because of the propellers. Jin stared at the town, seeing cave houses with colorful corals swaying atop them, the rose pink ones catching his eye. He watched as more merpeople exited their homes to marvel their ship and he noticed how different they were in an instant.

The Traneians all had fish tails instead of legs but the merfolk inside the city completely differed from the seahorse men guarding the gates. All the citizens varied in gender but they all had long shiny tails dotted with a variety of colors, which were white, black and orange. Sometimes it was one color, two colors or even three. They all had dark hair and piercing blue eyes, the color of their scales matching their tails.

"Are they... koi?," Hoseok questioned out loud and at that moment, Jin remembered what koi fishes looked like and nodded in agreement.

"I think that's the palace!," Jimin explained while pointing forward, a huge grin flashing on his face before he started scribbling on his sketchbook again. Jin followed his gaze, eyes widening at the sight.

The foot of the palace merged with the seabed, making it blend with the rocky ground. Three towers made up the castle, the tallest being the one in the middle, a figure of a snowflake lonely sitting on top. All windows were open, allowing water to flow in and out freely, as fishes and other sea creatures swam around it. Since it was located at the bottom of the sea, no sunlight basked it, yet it still glowed, fading in and our due to its main material — pearl. A garden stretched out below, littered with colorful corals, rocks, starfishes and a variety of plant life and other sea creatures (thankfully, no sea urchins), along with green algae designed to form a pathway leading to the castle's doorway. The gates were also made of pearl. It looked something straight out of a fantasy movie, the sight taking everyone's breath away.

Once the castle gates were opened to let Greta inside the royal grounds, Jin noticed that there was a figure standing, no, swimming in front of the entrance. It was a Traneian woman with the standard blue eyes and long blonde hair that was flowing in the water. She had her hands clasped over her exposed stomach and wore see-through long sleeved gloves that were part of her top, which extended into a thin veil that hovered behind her, chest and torso barely covered. Her tail was a beautiful shade of white, long and slender, ending with a fin that had a white glow. On top of her hair was the crown of Tranen, one that was made of sea rock and dotted with pearls at each spike, a blue stone resting at the center of its base.

"Looks like the queen wants to greet us herself," Jungkook said, as Taehyung parked Greta, letting its anchor hit the ground. In a flash, Jin and the others had walked through the hallway and down the stairs, which lead to the exit of the ship. Namjoon was already standing next to the lever, ready to pull it. It was silent and it was obvious that everyone was having the same thoughts.

Jin realized why everyone was so worried so he summoned water on his palms and blew on it, creating air bubbles big enough for the others heads to fit inside, serving as oxygen providing helmets. Taehyung also reassured everyone that the water pressure wasn't strong enough to kill them.

So, Namjoon pulled the lever, water coming inside quickly as the door slowly opened. Yoongi was starting to panic so Jin held his arm to reassure him that he was going to be alright. Everyone was given a slight shock when the water fully submerged them, especially because they just changed into tight clothes and were't wearing proper swimwear. Once everyone was outside, Taehyung used his powers to shut Greta's door.

Jin lead the way and swam ahead, still clutching onto Yoongi with Emily right behind him, the water stinging his eyes a bit. He remembered the first time he discovered that his gem gave him the ability to breath underwater and he was still amazed by it. Feeling his neck with his free hand, his fingertips brushed against the gills on his skin, which was a mistake because he almost suffocated himself. Still, now that he knew, his father forbidding him from swimming now made perfect sense. Maybe he already this ability since a young age.

Before Jin could once again contemplate about the current status of his parents, he was snapped back into reality by a slight tug from Yoongi. Looking up, he realized that everyone had linked hands to create a chain to him, fearing that the water current would drift them away. Tranen's queen was also in front of him and he followed his first instinct and bowed deeply, his actions forcing the others to do the same. "We are pleased to be in your presence, Tranen's queen."

"You're being too polite," Yoongi whispered with a frown, Emily nodding in agreement behind him. Jin raised an eyebrow since he didn't believe that there was such a thing like that. "I bet she didn't even understand yo—"

"I appreciate the hospitality coming from a handsome young man such as yourself," The queen spoke suddenly with a soft smile, instantly making Yoongi go quiet. Jin blinked at her almost nonexistent Vredeian accent and wondered if being educated in English was one of the criteria of being a ruler in Vrede.

"Owned," Jimin snickered behind Yoongi, earning a burning glare from the grey haired boy.

"Please, it is not a problem," Jin caught the stares from his friends and assumed that they were wondering why he was being super polite. Jungkook, to be specific, looked confused for some reason. He struggled a bit to press his feet to the ground and when he did, he placed a hand on his chest slightly bowing once more. "My name is Kim Seokjin and accompanying me are—"

"The wonders, guardian and her protector. I am glad to be of your acquaintance. As soon as Taehyung and his angel friend showed their gems, I knew. I am Queen Daphne, ruler of the kingdom of Tranen," Queen Daphne nodded before swimming around Jin, the veil of her top brushing his cheeks. Emily was eyeing her cautiously but sadly, the water gem bearer failed to uher notice this. He flinched when the queen grabbed his leg, the protector gritting her teeth at the sight. "Interesting. You have legs, just as every other citizen of Vrede does, yet you also have no problem breathing underwater, unlike the rest of your friends. Perhaps you bear the water gem, yes?"

Jin nodded with a loud gulp as Queen Daphne touched his gem and inspected it. He was rubbing his leg, still taken aback by how she had grabbed it so suddenly.

Queen Daphne continued to circle the group and made eye contact with everyone else. When her eyes met Emily's, there was a bit of tension before she smiled. "Please do not take my words to heart but I expected the heroes of Vrede to look a bit more super, maybe even be part of the breed of shark."

"Well, we were just a bunch of ordinary people from Earth until we discovered our powers," Hoseok shrugged, his hand tightly clutching your arm in the chain, though he looked a bit stunned by the word shark. "So I guess that's pretty understandable."

"You said that you needed our help," Taehyung spoke all of a sudden with a raised brow, arms crossed over his chest. Jin couldn't believe that he wasn't being polite to her, unlike how he was towards Mathilde. "Why?"

Queen Daphne's expression darkened at that moment and she sighed, swimming from the group, much to Emily's glee. She gestured for the guards to open the castle doors before speaking once again: "Follow me."

Again, Jin lead the way because the others refused to move. Still holding onto Yoongi to keep the chain intact, he swam inside and released a groan of awe once he saw the interior design of the castle. No Traneians were present except a few seahorse guards so the area was dripping with silence. The pearl walls were adorned with shells, pearls, and paintings made out of colored moss, ones that depicted koi mermaids. The water gem bearer wondered why there was nothing about the guards but his questions were left unanswered once Queen Daphne led them outside the lobby and into a long hallway.

Jin instantly noticed the row of framed paintings on one side of the wall, all containing different women wearing the crown of Tranen. Again, he wondered why all the past rulers were female koi mermaids.

Queen Daphne passed under an arc with a Vredeian inscription, which Jungkook transkated as dungeon. Jin's blood ran cold because of al the possibilities as they swam down a dark path, something which resembled a basement. "Do not fret, wonders, I am not going to imprison any of you. We are merely here to visit a prisoner."

Jin and Emily glanced at each other questionably and it was obvious that the girl was starting to doubt the the mermaid. Still, he told himself that he shouldn't doubt Tranen's queen, especially since she was asking for their help.

"Sounds a bit fishy to me," Taehyung mumbled to himself, his words almost incoherent to Jin.

"Was that a pun?," Namjoon asked with a raised brow, Jimin snickering next to him. Jin stared since the last time he had cracked a joke, the thunder gem bearer threatened to electrocute him to death. Maybe he had finally opened his heart to dad jokes.

"Uh, no?," Taehyung's glare made him look like he was ready to kill Namjoon at any moment. You started to laugh but stopped when you caught Yoongi's glance. Jin sighed and so did Emily. He couldn't believe that there was still drama present during all this.

Finally, they reached the dungeon, which was illuminated by small lightbulbs on the ceiling, giving Jin a view of the place. What greeted him and the team was a seemingly endless eerie hallway with thick rock bars at each side, the corner concealed by darkness. Namjoon stiffened.

"You alright?," Jungkook asked, his Vredeian accent slipping a bit. It was very obvious that the angel was uncomfortable due to how wet his wings were but he was doing his best to hide it.

"I'm fine," Namjoon breathed out before smiling, his dimples exposed. "Don't worry."

Queen Daphne swam towards the other end of the dungeon's hallway, the rest following suit hesitantly. Jin looked around and glanced at the prisoners, seeing a variety of merpeople, his eyes squinting. One cell had a merman with eight tentacles instead of a tail — octopus. Another was a female with an orange and white striped tail, facing the wall as she hugged herself and sobbed — clownfish. There were different kinds of prisoners doing different kinds of things but only one thing was common; none of them were koi.

And Jin knew that this was somehow an important fact to remember. But why?

"The kingdom of Tranen is split into three," Queen Daphne broke the silence with her soft voice, making Jin and everyone else face her as they swam across the dungeon. "We are in the main city, where the koi species live. Just outside is the town of salmon and fighter fish. The commoners, who refused to live nearby, are located in a far away village and this is exactly why I need your help, wonders. The Helians have taken over the commoners' village and we fear that when they attack, they will use the people to outnumber us."

"So why bring us to the dungeon?," Yoongi questioned with a frown, Jin nudging him in the stomach with his album. He didn't react much it and just rolled his eyes, which was weird because he'd usually glare or hiss. "Well, that hurt. I was just asking."

Queen Daphne did not reply instantly because she was speaking to two guards who were stationed next to a heavily locked metal door. A shiver ran down Jin's spine because he could basically see the dark aura in the water around the cell and he knew that whoever was inside was someone extremely dangerous. Why else would the door have over twenty locks?

"I feel like a serial killer is behind that door," Hoseok whispered to you with a trembling voice, in which you replied by shaking your head and mumbling something in the lines of probably worse, which made the dark haired boy whimper slightly. You were desperately holding in your laughter.

"No serial killer is behind this door, air gem bearer," Queen Daphne said with a chuckle as the guards slowly opened the door to the cell. "Only a witch by the name of Cassandra."

So the team entered the cell, which was a lot more spacious than what Jin expected. A lone lightbulb was at the center of the room, barely illuminating the area. There was a single bed at the corner of the room, along with crumpled papers and unidentifiable objects scattered across the floor. On the walls were Vredeian writings scratched on with nails along with what looked like a makeshift cauldron made of stone across the bed.

"Oh my god," Emily suddenly shrieked, her feet rooted to place. Jin turned to see her standing there with a disgusted expression. "I just stepped on something."

"No need to be afraid, girl, it is only a piece of wild fish brain."

Emily nearly puked at those words. "I'm gonna be sick—"

Jin realized that the voice was not Queen Daphne's so he squinted his eyes and scanned the area, trying to find this so called Witch Cassandra. "Where are you, Witch Cassandra?"

"Oh my, how rude of me," Suddenly, another lightbulb switched on in front of the gang, Witch Cassandra appearing with a smile filled with pointed teeth and glassy white eyes, the skin of her face wrinkly and old, dark clothes tattered and torn. Her tail, which was chained to the wall, was thick and brown, fins stretching wide. "Greetings, wonders. I am Witch Cassandra of the anglerfish species."

Jin stared at Witch Cassandra for two seconds before realizing that he indeed was looking at an anglerfish hybrid and he'd be lying if he said that he didn't almost scream. Hoseok, however, didn't even try to hide his fear and released a loud yelp as he flailed in place and swam behind Namjoon.

"You musn't fear her," Queen Daphne smiled as the door was shut, leaving little to almost no illumination inside the cell. "She is completely under my command."

"As if," Witch Cassandra scoffed before cackling loudly, Jin paling because of her sharp teeth. "I ain't trying to kill you right now because we have guests. Feel lucky."

Queen Daphne didn't reply, only keeping the smile on her face. Jin could feel the tension thickening in the air and he knew that the queen was holding in her anger. It seemed normal since it was an interaction between a prisoner and her captor but he couldn't help but feel like there was something more to it. That something was off. But, he shook that thought away. "Witch, I want you to give these nine temporary mermaid bodies."

There was a collective gasp, followed by Taehyung blurting out complaints. "What? Don't we have a say in this?"

"Oh, Taehyung, you musn't be concerned," Queen Daphne swam towards Taehyung and poked his nose. His eyes darkened and he looked ready to murder but was nudged to a stop by Jungkook. She chuckled, Jin staring silently. "In order to sneak into the infested village unharmed, you and your group must come in disguised as common Traneians. Do you agree?"

"...She has a point, guys," Hoseok's words made everyone face him with wide eyes. He was still behind Namjoon but had a more serious expression on his face. "If we walk in there as we are, we'll be like bait in a shark tank. It would be best to blend in."

"I agree," You nodded. Yoongi was glancing at you through the corner of his eyes. "It's the most practical choice. Jin, what do you think?"

Jin blinked when he felt everyone's eyes land on him. He wasn't sure they wanted his opinion the most, maybe because they were in his kingdom right now. He glanced at Emily, who was staring at him meaningfully, before nodding. "Yeah, let's do it."

Witch Cassandra was silent as she stared at Queen Daphne, who made a gesture at her. The anglerfish sighed sadly, which was weird for Jin, before stepping towards her pot and ordering all nine to recite their names. Once it was done, she took a variety of herbs and other squishy looking objects into the cauldron before chanting some Vredeian words. There was a small explosion of smoke before the witch dipped a strainer inside, taking out nine circular cakes. She walked towards the team, flashing her (obviously fake) smile of pointed teeth. "Eat this to get your temporary mermaid bodies. I cannot assure anyone of how long the spell will last but I can say that this isn't a curse and you will get your legs back. Also, I ain't poisoning anyone."

Nobody dared to move and only stared at the cakes hesitantly. Jin knew that everyone, himself included, was thinking of the possibility of the cakes being some kind of poison, despite what Witch Cassandra had claimed. After all the sneaky attacks the Helians did previously, he wanted to be cautious and wouldn't dare put anything in his mouth until—

"Yoongi, oh my God!," Jimin screamed in disbelief, cutting Jin's train of thought. He faced Yoongi, eyes widening when he realized that the fire gem bearer had taken one of the cakes and swallowed it in one bite.

"What the shi— You're going to get yourself killed!," Namjoon exclaimed, hands reaching to tug his own hair but ended up pressing onto his water helmet instead. The rest were staring in complete shock, with the exception of Jungkook who was staring in pity and Jin, who was shaking his head because these actions rooted from his grief.

"I guess I'll die then," Yoongi shrugged as he tapped his own wrist, counting silently. Everyone watched in anticipation, waiting for him to either grow a tail or drop dead. Jimin was panicking, saying the he should puke out the cake, only pausing when the grey haired man's legs started to glow. "Wha—"

Yoongi suddenly started wheezing, making panic ensue amongst the entire group. Jin was confused because he still had his helmet on yet he couldn't breath. Swimming his friend, he held his shoulders and inspected him calmly, despite his growing concern and how the majority were either screaming or demanding help from Witch Cassandra. Then, he noticed that there were gills appearing on his neck. So, he sighed and took out his claws before slashing the bubble, popping it.

"Jin, what are you doing?!," Emily gasped loudly and caught everyone's attention. Jin didn't reply, instead he stepped backwards and embraced his girlfriend in a comforting manner and watched as Yoongi started to glow, making everyone close their eyes due to the brightness.

When the light faded, Jin's eyes widened at the sight. Yoongi's legs were gone and was replaced with a slender yet short beige tail, the fin triangular shape and transparent, identical fins also sticking out from behind his arms. His hair was still grey but some strands were highlighted red, matching the red scales dotting his arms and shoulders. His hands were webbed, a metal wristband on his right wrist, containing the fire gem. Everyone was silent as they processed what they were looking at.

"The—," Yoongi shocked himself with his own voice when he started speaking underwater. Jin had his jaw dropped because of two reasons; his friend didn't die and he really did transform into a species of mermaid.

Witch Cassandra was smiling, Hoseok still flinching at her pointed teeth. She walked towards a frozen Yoongi and touched red strands of his hair. "Interesting. The fire gem bearer's inner soul contributed to the spell and made him part of the axolotl species. Do you have anything to say about this, koi queen?"

Queen Daphne ignored Witch Cassandra's remark with an evident frown on her face, the latter cackling loudly once again. During this, Hoseok had bottled up his fear and had taken a cake from the tray. You looked hesitant and attempted to tell the air gem bearer not to but he only shrugged and said: "Yolo."

A few minutes after Hoseok bit into the cake, he started glowing as well. This time, he was different from Yoongi. His scales were green, along with his long shiny tail which ended with a curved fin that resembled a crescent moon. Long pointed fins stuck out from each side of his hips, hands webbed, eyes powerfully emerald. He also had a similar wristband that contained the air gem but it was on his left wrist.

"I think he's an angelfish," Emily muttered next to Jin, who was still having difficulty processing what was going on. Hoseok was swimming around the cell with his heart-shaped smile, obviously enjoying his merman self.

One by one, the others started eating the cakes as well. Namjoon had eaten one despite Jimin's worries had earned a black and white colored tail, his fin thick and white. Small black fins were on his hips, along with black scales that went up his torso to his arms. Only his eyes were a shade of brown. His earth gem was still in a choker but it looked more secured. You concluded that he was an orca.

Jimin ate one next and grew a grey tail with a standard fin, along with two small grey fins on his hips and scales of the same color surrounding his cheeks and shoulders. However, one thing different about the orange haired boy was the triangular fin on his bare back, partnered with his sharp teeth, claws and thin black irises that came with his yellow eyes. Instead of a ring, he had a glove, the thunder gem fused into his palm. Hoseok flinched. It didn't take long for Jin to realize that he was a shark.

Jungkook shrugged and ate a cake and Jin had to admit that the angel's transformation was beautiful. His wings had turned into transparent white veil-like fins that extended from his back, all the way to his hips and tail, which was the same color of white. His fin stretched out and had the same texture. White scales dotted his chest, arms, shoulders and cheeks. Fighting fish.

After a moment of silence from the four who hesitated the most, Taehyung took the lead and snatched a cake from the still smirking Witch Cassandra. He tossed the pastry into his mouth and chewed. Soon enough, he started glowing and he, to Jin, was the most different. His purple tail was the longest amongst everyone's and he didn't have a fin at the tip, instead it extended from both sides of his tail and were glowing. His ears also had thin fins pointing upwards, along with scales of the same color on his arms and face. He also had a glove similar to Jimin's. He, unlike everyone else, looked unamused. Eel.

Emily swallowed a cake and Jin would be lying if he said that he wasn't anticipating her transformation the most. She too was a fighting fish like Jungkook, except her tail and fins were in a pink shade and her scales crawled up her stomach to partly cover her chest. Her hair was longer too.

"Beautiful," Jin smirked mischievously as Emily blushed and hit him across the head playfully. He took the last two cakes and passed one to you, the both of you nodding before biting into it simultaneously.

Your tail was long and slender, a perfect mix of white, orange and black. Veil-like fins covered your chest and arms, giving it an illusion of being a top. The fin at the tip of your tail also was smooth like cloth and was a plain color of white, scales dotting your stomach. Koi.

Jin was literally glowing. He was also a koi like you, except his tail, fins and scales were all gold in color. He also had veil-like fins on his back, similar to the queen's, but had a row of pearls on his chest and another crown of pearls on his blonde hair. Although he had claws, his hands were a shade of gold due to his scales. Everyone stared because he looked exactly like a prince of the sea.

"Finally, my own kin," Queen Daphne rejoiced and swam around the two koi mermaids. She inspected your tail for a moment before swimming towards Jin and brushed her fingertips against the pearls on his head. Then she caressed the water gem bearer very uncomfortable. "Look at your fins and your tails. Majestic. Beautiful. And you, Kim Seokjin, you are the rare breed of gold koi and partnered with that face of yours? You are fit for a ki—"

"Stop touching him all over the place," Emily growled, hands balled into fists and teeth gritted. Both Jin and Queen Daphne faced her. "Don't you see how uncomfortable he is?"

Queen Daphne glanced at the couple before releasing the gold koi merman and sighing loudly. Jin felt absolutely relieved and swam towards Emily, hugging her as a sign of thanks. She still looked pissed. "I see. I apologize for the discomfort I have caused."

"Okay, so," Yoongi was checking his nails with drooped eyes, face void of any sort of emotion. His short tail was curled behind him. "Now that we're all blended in and none of us died, what now?"

"I shall lead you to the village," Queen Daphne knocked on the metal door as it opened. Before she disappeared into the exit, she muttered a few words. "Thank you for your cooperation, Witch Cassandra."

"Yeah, sure," Witch Cassandra spat sarcastically as each member of the team exited the cell. Once only Emily and Jin were left inside, the angler fish whistled. "Hey, you two."

Jin paused and turned around, along with Emily, and saw Witch Cassandra grinning at her with her pointed teeth. The two glanced at each other in a moment of silence before the gold koi spoke with a bit of hesitation. "Yes?"

"Remember this," Witch Cassandra cackled as you called for both Emily and Jin to come out. "Watch out for the prettiest of fish."

The door slammed shut before Jin could question those words, Witch Cassandra's cackles echoing inside her cell. Both were hit with confusion because of how cryptic that sentence sounded.

"What did she mean?," Emily asked and only now did Jin notice the little shells adorning her hair.

"I... don't know," Jin trailed off, hoping that whatever Witch Cassandra was trying to tell wasn't that important, that maybe she was just a crazy old magical anglerfish.

Or was it?

-

A/N - word count is 7,750 words rip it's also unedited so I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors ;;

this is literally my fave chap because of all the details! I hope I described the mermaids and the kingdom of Tranen properly ;; what are ur theories for Witch Cassandra's words? Hmm

Also! Tranen is loosely inspired by a mix of Atlantis and Athens! Yay! And I'm proud to say that I'm back to my weekend schedule! I'm glad that I was able to update before my exam tomorrow ;;

I felt a lot of pressure writing this chap because it's right after I won in TFA lol I hope I didn't disappoint ;; Please anticipate the next chapter, where I will reveal the village of commoners!

Also, hmu if you guys don't understand the mermaid part and I'll be glad to explain! All questions will be entertained!

Thank you for supporting and loving T7W and hello to all my new readers! See y'all in the next chapter!