A/N - UPDATED JUST IN TIME FOR MY BDAY WHEEZE PLS ENJOY THIS EXTREMELY LATE CHAP ;;

"Your most gracious," A general seahorse soldier spoke as the doors of Tranen's castle opened, panting as he took deep breaths. As soon as he reached the throne, he bent downwards, bowing with a hand placed on his chest, shell helmet nearly falling off his head. "I have news from the princess."

Queen Daphne was calmly sitting on her pearl throne, swiping her koi tail upwards as she finger-combed her long blonde hair. Being too busy staring at the reflection of her mirror, she didn't spare a glance at the general. "I see. I'm assuming it is good news?"

"Yes, my Queen," The general said slowly, still bowing down, shoulders aching due to the big spikes on his shoulder pads. "Princess Lilith was successful. She has eliminated the water gem bearer and his fighting fish girlfriend. Now, she is returning with the water gem."

"Excellent," Queen Daphne chuckled darkly and tossed her mirror, her koi maid barely catching it. She gently swam towards the general, who was staring back at her with a smirk. Smiling, her next words came flirtatiously. "Would you care to accompany me to the dungeon, general?"

The general stared back intently as Queen Daphne ran her fingers down his face. It took a few seconds until he swallowed and responded: "Of course, Your most gracious."

Queen Daphne's chuckled once more as the general swam forward and disappeared behind the pearl walls as she followed closely. Passing through the same hallway with all the portraits of former rulers hanging on the them, she was greeted by a sudden darkness of the dungeon. She could already hear Witch Cassandra cackling all the way from the other side, making her roll her eyes. Both guards were still stationed next to the bolted metal door.

"Why the loud mouth, witch?," Queen Daphne hissed as she tightly grabbed the bars of the cell's small window. She could barely see the silhouette of Witch Cassandra inside, the cell's interior barely illuminated by the anglerfish's light. "Soon, Lilith will return with a golden corpse and the water gem. We koi and Hel will have full control over Tranen and nobody can stop us. We are victorious. Not much of a laughing matter to you, hm?"

"You are a fool," Witch Cassandra laughed as she appeared suddenly behind the barred window, slightly shocking Queen Daphne. She grinned with her pointed teeth. "Both you and your bratty daughter. Do you really think Tranen's wonder can be beaten that easily?"

"Be quiet, anglerfish. You should be thanking me because I saved your life. I had all the chance to kill you the moment you started a revolt against me and slaughtered my men but I didn't. I kept you alive," Queen Daphne leaned in closer to the bars, eyes flashing purple before fading back to their blue color. "So why don't you bow down to me, old hag? Just like how all your precious villagers will? With one of the wonders dead, the entirety of Vrede will bow down to me and Hel's King. So why don't you do the same?"

"Because you haven't won," Witch Cassandra snapped, smacking her lips together, low chuckles rumbling from her throat. "Remember this: The water is cold. The tide will come and so will your end."

Queen Daphne raised an eyebrow at the witch before she scoffed loudly. Before she could respond, however, there was shuffling behind her. Turning around with a loud groan, the koi spotted a seahorse guard knelt to the ground, the general standing next to him questionably.

"There must be a good reason for you to interrupt our Queen's private talk with the witch," The general hissed at the poor soldier who still had his gazed fixated to the ground. "Isn't that right, soldier?"

"I apologize, general, but... the princess has returned," Queen Daphne looked up and glanced over her shoulder to stare at the still trembling soldier. "She is entering the castle grounds."

"Thank you, soldier," Queen Daphne spoke with a small voice, the soldier bowing once more. She glanced at the general, who was giving her a smirk. For others, it would be strange but to the koi, it was only amusing. "General, gather your men and make sure that my daughter is safe. I shall follow."

The general bowed before swimming away with the soldier, leaving Queen Daphne in the dungeon. Turning around, she smirked mischievously as she saw Witch Cassandra still staring at her from behind bars. "The tide will come and so will my end, you say? I'll be the judge of that."

"It was never your choice," Witch Cassandra laughed as she disappeared back into the darkness of her cell, the lone lightbulb slowly fading. Queen Daphne scoffed at this as she swam out of the dungeon and made her way to the throne room.

And when Queen Daphne sat back on her throne, awaiting the glorious entrance of her beautiful daughter Lilith, she smiled. "Stupid witch. Victory is already mine."

Glancing around, Queen Daphne saw rows of soldiers in line, awaiting for Lilith's arrival. The pearl walls and sea glass surrounding her were as shiny and as beautiful as ever — not more than herself of course. Next to her was a smaller version of her own throne, which belonged to her lovely daughter. The sight made her imagine a whole new ideal Tranen where they ruled with no threats. Her fingers started to twitch at the thought of owning the water gem, of being able to control all of the sea and its creatures. She couldn't wait to prove to Vrede that koi were the superior Traneians, that koi were the most powerful creatures of the sea. Just thinking about it made he laugh mischievously.

Queen Daphne waited for Lilith, excitement coursing through her veins. Seconds and minutes of absolute silence passed until her patience finally ran dry. "General, what is taking so long? It takes less than five minutes to swim from the gate to the throne room. Where is my daughter?"

"Apologies, Your most gracious, but I—"

Before the general could finish his sentence, there was loud shattering of glass coming from above, and then a thump on the ground. Queen Daphne flinched at the shards of glass flying and cutting her as the guards charged towards the object that fell from the ceiling.

"Are you alright, my Queen?," The general asked as he assisted Queen Daphne, who slipped off her throne out of shock.

Queen Daphne soon regained her balance and dusted her tail, flicking some shards of glass away with her fingers. Feeling her cheeks with her palms and flinching at the wounds that stung on her face, the koi groaned loudly in both pain and frustration. "Great. I have scratches all over my face now. What bastardoues creature broke through the ceiling of my castle and caused this mess?"

"Y-Your most gracious," One of the soldiers spoke up before the general could answer, making Queen Daphne turn around with raised eyebrows. The sight that greeted her made her gasp softly.

Lilith was at the center of the throne room, lying in pool of glass shards, cuts all over her face, limbs and tail. Thick ropes were tightly wrapped around her, as well as a mouth gag, cheeks stained with dry tears. A huge boulder was on the ground next to her, tied with a rope that connected with the koi.

Before Queen Daphne could say or do anything, her throat closed due to her shock and anger then there was loud shattering of glass from all around.

-

"What's the plan again?," Yoongi grumbled, making everyone stare at him with sharp eyes. He shrugged as he yawned, not even bothering to close his mouth. Jin scrunched his nose in disgust. "What? Didn't I say that I was a forgetful person?"

"Fine, let's do a recap," Emily grunted from behind Jin, who had a feeling of de ja vu resting in his stomach, obviously frustrated. The two of them were currently riding on Vrede's version of a narwhal — except it had grey skin, four eyes, no mouth and two black spikes sticking out from its head — as was everyone else. They were provided by Alec since the wild narwhals were rebels' mode of transportation and was also their fighting ships (directly quoted from Jimin, who had said it with sparkling eyes and teeth). "Sky?"

Naturally, the biggest of the narwhals was given to Jin and Emily as Alec's way to show his respect towards the rightful king of Tranen. Each narwhal had rope tied to both of its horns, where the rider could hold onto to control it, along with saddles that looked like they were made of cloth but were rougher in texture. He has yet to ask about the material. All of them had also been given armor made of seashells and rock, along with weapons like spears, knives or slingshots. Emily, however, didn't have one since she said that she didn't need one and that her fists were enough. No matter how much the water gem bearer tried to convince his girlfriend, she refused.

"The plan was to trick the Queen into thinking that the princess is safely arriving to the castle with Jin's water gem, which is why Taehyung casted a spell on one of the guards earlier," You spoke without making eye contact with Yoongi, which made Jin sigh since the fire gem bearer was obviously pained by this. The water gem bearer caught sight of your katana and shield strapped behind your back, making him wonder if you found it heavy or not.

"While the Queen is waiting, we were to sneak behind the castle, where no guards are stationed because there's literally a dead drop of a cliff behind it," Namjoon spoke as he swam into the scene, his narwhal grunting a bit, Jimin sitting behind him, eyes barely over the earth gem bearer's shoulder as he peered. Among everyone on the team, he had the least armor on because he was bound to break it and Alec didn't want any to be wrecked out of naught. "The plan is simple. We attack and find a way to get rid of the Queen to let Jin reclaim the throne."

"And how exactly do we do that?," Jungkook asked with a tilted head, strands of his blonde hair swaying under the water, front teeth protruding from his upper lip like a bunny's. Behind him was Hoseok, who was staring at the narwhal's long tail in awe.

"We drop the princess," Everyone faced Taehyung, who had been silent the whole time. He was riding on a narwhal alone because he insisted, a stoic expression on his face, his tail hanging from the narwhal's body. Instead of two ropes, he was holding three. Behind him was Princess Lilith, who was gagged in the mouth and tied with glowing purple rope, obviously pissed off at the current situation.

Jimin raised an eyebrow, his thick lips naturally forming a pout. He struggled behind Namjoon, who was a bit too tall for his taste. "Taehyung, I'm pretty sure that the princess was dropped right after we found out that—"

"No. I meant literally," Taehyung hissed at Jimin, who cowered behind the orca. Jin thought it was strange to see a frightened shark. The eel cocked his head to the side, gesturing towards the ceiling of the throne room, the gang being brought there by Alec. Jin followed his gaze and saw it shimmering. "The ceiling is made of glass and I'm sure y'all are smart enough to know that glass is very fragile. I say we have Namjoon get us a huge rock and we tie it to this koi bitch before we drop her into the throne room. A last minute warning before we attack. Do you guys agree?"

"That's so cruel," Hoseok whispered behind Jungkook whilst blinking his green eyes. Taehyung's sly smirk faded into a frown at the air gem bearer's words. "Maybe we can shatter the glass before dropping Lilith inside?"

"Well, we do have the rock for that, right?," Jin asked questionably, in which Taehyung nodded to as a confirmation. He glanced at Emily, who seemed to have no problem dropping Lilith into a sea of glass shards. "Namjoon?"

"On it," Namjoon replied before raising a fist, a boulder chipping off from the cliff before rising next to him. Jin chuckled at how Alec and the other rebels were staring with jaws dropped.

Taehyung clasped his hands together, taking no time in elongating his rope. He tied a knot, forming a hoop before swinging it in the water like some narwhal cowboy. Tossing it, he perfectly caught the rock and pulled it closer as Namjoon continued to control it.

"Looks you're in a tight position, princess," Jimin said before laughing loudly at his own joke and Jin was trying his hardest to conceal his windshield wiper laugh, Lilith staring back with a burning glare. Everyone stared at the two with dark expressions and Taehyung looked like he was ready to murder the both of them.

"I swear to God, if anyone cracks any more jokes," Yoongi hissed, the water around him heating up. Even the narwhal he had wore the same expression and Jin wasn't sure if that was cute or terrifying.

"Alright, alright, now that we're done recapping, we should get moving," Namjoon spoke before the tension in the air could get any worse. He turned towards Taehyung, who nodded at his glance and tugged at the rope, making his narwhal swim towards the castle's ceiling.

Taehyung stared at the ceiling for a while before making a few gestures with his fingers, purple mist appearing, and chanting some Vredeian words under his breath. Jin watched carefully as he raised Lilith and the rock over the ceiling. He made a gesture towards Namjoon, who released the rock. The glass shattered a few seconds before the princess could make contact with it.

Jin swiped an arm upwards as Emily flinched behind him, using the water's current to deflect the glass shards and preventing it from hitting him or anyone else. Taehyung made a forcefield around himself.

A loud thump was heard from inside the castle, along with a shriek that definitely came from Queen Daphne. As chaos ensued from within the throne room, Jin glanced over his shoulder and at the group of rebels behind him. "Alec, go!"

"Charge!," Alec screamed and pointed his spear forward, the rebels making a battle cry before charging through the remaining glass windows. From his position, Jin could hear the rebels and soldiers clashing inside.

For a moment, there was something in the air, a mixture of determination and will. Jin saw everyone circling around the ceiling, glancing at each other with burning glares. He smiled at how everyone was so intent on claiming back Tranen.

"Ready?," Namjoon asked softly, having no weapons because he was going to use his powers, making everyone shift into their offensive positions. Jin tightly held his spear as Emily balled her fists. Jimin readied his dual knives. Taehyung's hands were coated with purple mist, Jungkook's with bright white light. Hoseok had a wooden staff. You drew your katana and shield out, holding them with a serious expression. Yoongi... had a knife? Strange, since he wasn't given any weapons. "Now!"

All nine of them dove into the shattered windows of the throne room, the brightness of the pearl walls temporarily blinding Jin. In the throne room, rebels and seahorse soldiers clashed with one another, wooden spears versus metal spears.

Jin flinched a bit when rocks flew from all around and struck the rebels, one barely missing his face. "Namjoon!"

"Sorry!," Namjoon was riding his narwhal across the room with glowing brown eyes whilst Jimin slashed any nearby guards whenever they were near the ground.

A circular purple blade flew across the water and Jin nearly crashed into the wall with his narwhal when he dodged it, Emily screaming behind him. Turning around, he saw Taehyung with spinning purple rings around his wrists as he threw at the guards. Unlike what he thought, they weren't sharp, instead they either knocked them out or wrapped them around to the point that they couldn't move. "Are you all trying to kill me or what?"

"Just dodge it!," Taehyung hissed as he threw more purple rings.

"You make it sound so easy, Tae," Jungkook commented while shooting out beams of light from his palms. Hoseok was hitting guards with his wooden stick from behind the angel.

"Jin, duck!," After registering Emily's voice, Jin lowered his head and felt something pass by and touch strands of his blonde hair. Turning to his side, the water gem bearer saw his girlfriend punching a soldier square in the face. "Are you alright?"

Jin went silent for a moment, forgetting that Emily was a warrior for a moment. Once he snapped out of it, he slowly nodded as he watched the fighting fish crack her knuckles. "Yeah... I'm alright."

"Do you mind if I go down and fight?," Emily whispered while looking at the chaos beneath. Jin had his narwhal above everyone else now to observe their surroundings. He was looking for the queen and the princess. "The idea of just watching doesn't sit well with me."

Jin knew that Emily was a true warrior, it was in her blood. Her words somehow reminded him of Mathilde and the Aardeian warriors. That aside, he knew that he could trust his girlfriend and nodded. "Of course, I'm sure that you can take of yourself. Just... be careful, alright sweetie?"

"Did you just call me sweetie?," Emily raised an eyebrow with a smirk and Jin felt his cheeks heat up.

"Just go," Jin shook his head with a smile, the narwhal groaning underneath him. "I'll look for the queen."

Emily smiled through her eyes before she jumped off the narwhal and landed right onto a group of soldiers harassing some rebels. Jin watched as she flipped around and swung her fists. Deciding that he shouldn't just be there while everyone else is fighting, he tugged on the rope of his narwhal and swam across the area.

Jin had to dodge a few flying spears during it. He saw you getting cornered by some soldiers and you struggling, grunting because of the spears coming from all directions. You were defending yourself well but it was obvious that you were tiring out. So, after seeing Yoongi glance at the situation and becoming conflicted with what his next action should be, he decided to help.

"Hey, seahorses! Leave her alone!," Jin yelled as he made his narwhal charge. Since he knew they were Traneians forced to work for the queen, wasn't intent on killing any of them so he shouted to hopefully make them dodge the sharp horns. Thankfully, he only pinned some guards to the wall without killing anyone, although some had gashes on their waists and torsos. "You alright, Sky?"

"Yeah, thanks Jin," You rolled your shoulders, which ached due to fatigue, before glancing down at your own shield. Jin caught the shield with ease when it was tossed towards him. "Here, you might need this."

"Thanks," Jin simply waved a hand when a soldier charging towards the two, the strong current making the seahorse spin around in the water. He glanced around, trying to find any signs of koi, but failed. Even Lilith was gone, replaced by cut rope, and this struck him with worry. "Lilith escaped?"

"She what?," Yoongi breathed as he entered the scene with some scratches on his red scaled arms. "How did that bitch even free herself? I snatched her knife so she couldn't cut through the rope."

Jin finally understood how Yoongi retrieved the knife. Indeed, the fire gem bearer had the instincts of a thief. Before the blonde could respond, however, Hoseok swam into the scene with a strangely clean spear and spoke. "Maybe Queen Daphne freed her and hid her somewhere? That's why my intuition—"

"She did."

The unfamiliar voice stunned Jin for a bit, then he turned around and saw s seahorse soldier staring at them solemnly. Based on his armor, the blonde could tell that this person was the general of the seahorse. Following your first instinct, you drew out your katana, only pausing when Hoseok made a gesture. "Sky, wait. I think he's trying to help."

"I saw the queen and the princess," The general continued before Jin could say anything and dropped his weapons on the ground, making him defenseless. "They fled through a secret entrance near the throne. You have to pull a lever on the ground next to the altar to access it."

"Why are you helping us?," Jin asked, knowing that the general had made himself vulnerable to prove that he was on their side.

The general glanced at those around him, noticing Yoongi's literally burning glare, before sighing loudly. Jin noticed that his eyes were filled with sadness as he flicked them towards the ground. "The only reason why we seahorses are sided with the queen is because she threatened to wipe off our species from the face of Tranen if we didn't. Each time I disobey her, she beheads one of my guards so I... I pretend to have the same mindset as her to agree with her every move. And I'm tired of pretending. You're the wonder of Tranen, right? Please... save us."

Jin would be lying if he said that he didn't tear up at the general's words. He glanced at Yoongi, who he had expected to be looking sympathetic, but instead he was just staring ahead blankly. Knowing what was exactly going through the fire gem bearer's head, the blonde sighed loudly before turning back to the seahorse general. "I'll save Tranen, general. I promise."

"Thank you," The general nodded with a smile before cocking his head towards the secret entrance behind the throne.

Jin whispered a be careful to his friends before jumping off his narwhal and swimming away, using your shield to block any incoming attacks. Looking around, he spotted Emily still fighting seahorse guards with her bare fists, looking furious as she screamed out battle cries. Knowing that his girlfriend was going to make sure to come with him, the water gem bearer decided not to tell her. He couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt.

So, Jin was silent as he swam around the throne, looking for the lever the general was talking about. He squinted his eyes when he spotted something sticking out from the corner of the seat and pulled it without hesitation. There was a click, one that thankfully wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear, then a slab of pearl moved, revealing a dark path to a secret room.

Jin braced himself, knowing that he was going to battle the queen and the princess on the other side. Before going in, he paused and glanced over his shoulder, once again looking at Emily, who was still too busy fighting. "I'll come back safe and sound, Em. I promise."

The moment Jin entered the barely illuminated path, the entrance behind him closed, stunning him and basking him in darkness. He tried using the reflection of your shield but that didn't work. Looking down, he saw his water gem glowing bright blue and decided to make it his light source. The blonde could barely make out the walls around him and had to swish some water and listen to the noise it made to check if he was about to walk into pearl slabs or not. It seemed like an eternity passed before he finally made it to the other side of the path.

Jin paused before entering the secret room and observed his surroundings. The room was mostly empty and had no windows, the only decor being two koi statues, one with a spear and the other with a trident, pointing their weapons forward, only illuminated by glowing white pearls in the ceiling. Based on how he was traveling downwards, he assumed that this room was under the castle. The thick walls and barren look told the water gem bearer that he was in a some kind of safe room. He knew because it looked similar to his own safe room back in his vacation house, which they had in case some goons decided to attack his father.

"Are you alright, my daughter?," Queen Daphne spoke as soon as Jin entered the room. Realizing the mother and daughter duo were at the center of the room, the princess lying on some rock slab, he swam and hid behind a pillar to continue observing. "What did those disgusting school of fish do to you?"

"I am fine, mother," Lilith groaned, scratches still all over her cheeks, arms bruised due to the tightness of the rope. Even though the koi princess was a villain, Jin still felt bad for what they had done to her. "I had it all under control. Emily was supposed to be a tool to defeat Jin but... I was a fool and let myself fall into his trap, which lead to my capture. I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize, Lilith," Queen Daphne whispered before hugging Lilith, pressing her daughter's head to her chest. The sight made Jin think of his own mother and suddenly, he was hit with homesickness and regret towards making his parents feel like they had lost their only child. "The only one who should be sorry is the golden koi for treating you like his pawn. I can't believe that I am disgusted by my own race. He shall pay with his blood spilled. Isn't that right, Kim Seokjin?"

Jim blinked when he realized that Queen Daphne was looking right at him, eyes burning with rage. Sighing loudly, he moved out of his hiding spot while clasping your shield onto his arm. "It doesn't have to be that way, Queen Daphne. We can solve this without the violence."

"Zip it. You should have said that before attacking my guards and before hurting my daughter," Queen Daphne snapped before swimming towards Jin, who raised his shield in a protective stance. A smirk slowly grew on the koi's face as she eyed the water gem bearer. "So I'm assuming that you now know the truth?"

"I do," Jin replied briskly, expression fierce as Queen Daphne approached him carefully. "And I don't get it. Why do you think of your species so highly? What makes you or any koi different from other Traneians?"

"He sounds just like Emily," Lilith scoffed loudly as she got up from her rocky bed with a grunt. "You two are one and the same. Thinking that everyone should be treated equally, please. No wonder the two of you are together."

Queen Daphne spoke before Jin could express his anger towards Lilith's words about Emily. "You don't seem to understand, Jin. From the beginning of time, we koi have been destined to rule over all other species of fish. With our beauty, we are above all other Traneians. You yourself are a koi. That must be enough to make you know how it feels, yes?"

"No. I'm only a koi because it's my temporary look. I'm not like you and I will never be like you," Jin hissed, making both Queen Daphne and Princess Lilith frown. He swung the shield, positioning it over his chest. "I'm just like anyone else. I'm only trying to survive and my tail or status doesn't change any of that. You're pretty, I admit, so what? Does that automatically mean you're superior? Why should you or anyone else feel like they're above others, even if it's because they're older or prettier? It makes no sense, none at all."

A silence. Jin observed Queen Daphne, trying to figure out what was really behind the koi's stoic expression as she swam around him in circles without a word. Lilith was staring at the two questionably, obviously conflicted between being angry or giving no reaction at all. It took a few seconds of absolute silence until the queen finally spoke. "I apologize for my outburst a few moments ago. You were right about avoiding violence as much as possible, water gem bearer. So, I have prepared a negotiation."

Jin raised an eyebrow at Queen Daphne's sudden change of thought and instinctively raised the shield to his face when she got closer. Her eyes flashed purple for a few moments before turning back to their blue shade. Something had appeared in her hands. It was a golden compass with a small curved button at its tip. However, the blonde did not let this be a distraction. "There is nothing you can do or say that can make me give up my gem."

"Please, at least let me speak, dear Jin," Queen Daphne's voice was laced with irritation, even though she had a smile on her face. Jin stared as the koi pressed the button of the compass, revealing a bright white quartz with black hands and barely readable numbers. Squinting his eyes, he knew that it wasn't any ordinary compass. "This tool was crafted by Hel's best mechanics. With it, you can travel through time — only backwards because the future remains unwritten."

Jin had to pause to process what Queen Daphne was saying. Of course, a time traveling was no longer a surprise to him because everything that has happened in the past few months but somehow, it caught his interest. After all, the concept of time travel had always been something he had been curious about. Wait, no. Shaking his head, he continued to stare ahead with an intimidating glare. "And?"

"You have many regrets in life, Jin. I can sense it through your aura, through the way you make your decisions and the way you carry yourself," Queen Daphne licked her lips, a mischievous smirk spreading across her face. Jin eyed her, preparing himself for any sudden attacks. "This tool — you can use this to correct your mistakes, yes? All those people you've lost due to your ignorance and your actions... you can get them back. You can live your life the way you want to. You can make better decisions, now that you know the consequences of your mistakes. The compass of time has no limits and you can go back as far as you want. To claim this device, all you need to do is a simple trade. Your gem for this compass. A good deal, isn't it?"

For some reason, despite being under the ocean, Jin's throat went dry. A time traveling compass... it was definitely something that tempted because indeed, he did have a lot of regrets that he wanted to change in the past. Sam's death and the lost of his close friends Ross and Foy — he knew that those events could have been prevented, he just needed the chance to go back and change it all. The water gem bearer was aware of his mistakes that led to all the regret he was currently feeling and he so badly wanted to get rid of it.

Jin thought about it. If he took the chance, he could change everything. He wouldn't be forced to hide behind a princely premise to prove to everyone that he was okay despite all that had went on in his life. He wouldn't have to project himself as someone likable. He wouldn't have to live with guilt of losing his friends and making his parents suffer the pain of death. He would have lived his life differently. He would be happier.

"How...," Jin trailed off, his thoughts jumbling inside his head, making him lose the ability to think straight. Queen Daphne was smirking. "How do I know that you aren't lying?"

"What do you think, Jin?," Queen Daphne spoke sharply as she swam closer to Jin, who stiffened at the lessening distance. He did his best to not flinch when the koi queen caressed his cheek with the tips of his fingers. "You already know the answer, don't you?"

It seemed like Jin was in a state of hypnosis because suddenly, he had made a decision. Staring at compass, he thought it was calling to him, telling him to take this once in a lifetime chance to erase all his mistakes of the past. He glanced down at his water gem, which was infused to his chest, and ran his fingertips against the smooth surface. He wasn't sure how Queen Daphne was going to take it but he assumed that it will be painless. Maybe.

Jin reached out for the compass, even though his gem was glowing a bright blue, as if telling him to stop. Queen Daphne's smile turned completely evil as Lilith, who was watching from behind, leaned forward in anticipation. "Yes, Jin. That's right. Take it."

Queen Daphne reached out a hand as well, intent on pressing her palm on Jin's chest. The water gem bearer's eyes glowed as his fingertips brushed against the cold and smooth surface of the compass. This compass, it was his salvation, his solution to everything.

Then, a pause. Jin blinked. Glancing down at his own hand, he was confused at how his surroundings changed and now he was standing in the middle of a playground, a bodyguard at each of his side, Ross and Foy just a few inches away from him. It took him a few moments to realize that he was having major flashbacks at this very moment.

"I see that all the fame and money finally got to you, Jin. One day, you'll realize your mistake and when you do, it will be too late."

Foy was right because Jin had realized his mistake and indeed — it was too late. He had already lost his two close friends, all because of how he thought of himself as someone higher than them, someone who didn't deserve friends like them. He couldn't change it but the compass could. And it made him wonder why he was stuck in a loop of past memories. He didn't think it was necessary to relive all of his mistakes in life, yet, here he was.

Jin could only watch the scenes of his memories play before him. Now he was standing in the lobby of his mansion, flames and water everywhere. In front of him was Sam — the mutated Sam, staring down at him with its beady black eyes and tentacles.

"Sam. It's me, Jin. I know you can hear me. Whatever this thing is doing to you, fight it. Fight it and come back... please."

Knowing what was coming, Jin braced himself. Still, the words came and it was still as painful.

"Sam is no longer here."

Jin couldn't even cry before the scene switched once again, which felt like a gust of wind. This time, he was in one of the bedrooms of the mansion, no signs of flame, water or a mutated Sam anywhere. He only realized what was going on when he saw you standing in front of him with pursed lips. The blonde tried to speak on his own but he couldn't. Instead, it was like watching himself in a movie.

"Your generosity is endearing, Miss...?"

"Sky. Just Sky."

The flames came back and the mansion's walls were crumbling. He was standing in the destroyed lobby, watching the mutated Sam tightly hold you in one of its tentacles. Glancing around, his eyes widened when he spotted orange-eyes Yoongi with fire coated arms, staring back at him with a small smile.

"...Besides controlling water, you can heal too. Maybe you can heal Sam. You know, extract him out of the monster or something."

"Thanks... now go get Sky."

"With pleasure."

Another gust of wind. Jin was honestly getting dizzy because of all these sudden scene switching but he calmed down when he found himself inside a beautiful castle like mansion, walls and ceiling shimmering with gold. A soft hand was on his shoulder. Emily was in front of him, wearing the beautiful pink dress she had on when they first met, arm extended to reveal the glowing symbol on her arm.

"You never told me your name."

"Call me Emily."

The memory of meeting Emily, a woman he grown to love with all his heart, was bittersweet. He had no thoughts when he suddenly was inside a small washroom and he recognized it as the plane's men's room, which he had entered before heading out to Cairo. Again, the protector was in front of her. This time, they were kissing.

But the words that rang in Jin's mind were different.

"If I can only turn back time... That's impossible. Maybe I can be—"

"—A much better person in my next life," Jin breathed out before he blinked multiple times, finally coming back to reality. Queen Daphne was still standing in front of him, a hand reaching out, the compass just under his palm. He could grab it if he wanted to.

But he didn't.

"What are you waiting for, Jin?," Queen Daphne hissed, trying to keep the smile on her face despite how her impatience was growing. Her grip on the compass was tightening. "What is there to think about? Taking this compass will—"

"No."

Another silence. Queen Daphne raised a brow at Jin, who knew that the koi was slowly running out of patience. It was written all over her face, made more evident by her gritted teeth and clenched jaw. So, he retracted his hand and raised the shield to his chest. "Are you... refusing?"

"You heard me, Queen Daphne. I'm not taking that compass and I'm definitely not handing over my gem to the likes of you," Jin snapped, putting on a serious expression. This time, he wasn't pretending. It was how he really felt at the moment. "What you said is true. I do have many regrets in life and those were all caused by own stupid decisions and morals. I lost my close friends and butler and it was all my fault. But, now that you made it clear to me, I realized something. Mistakes, there's a reason why they exist. We learn from them. It helps us make better decisions in the future. Going back in time to try and change those mistakes won't do anything. In fact, it will only make things worse. Won't changing the past change the future? If I do that, I'll prevent myself from meeting my friends and girlfriend. I may not have been a good man in the past but I can be a better man in the present and in the coming future. So, as the rightful king of Tranen, I am keeping my gem. And I am getting my kingdom back."

Queen Daphne continued to stare at Jin blankly as he wheezed in oxygen, since his long speech had parched his throat. The koi queen had no words, or maybe she didn't want to say anything, but after she tossed the compass away, it was obvious that she was angry. She gritted her teeth once more, hands balled into fists. "You—"

"Idiot!," Lilith screamed, cutting off Queen Daphne's words. Jin peeked over the queen's shoulder and saw the princess slipping down from her rocky bed, eyes burning with rage as they stared right at him. "How dare you make a fool out of me, then defy my mother, the queen of Tranen?! How dare you waltz in to our kingdom and destroy the peace we had so carefully built?! How dare you claim the throne as your own?! Just... just die!"

Everything happened so quickly. Lilith released a battle cry and charged towards Jin, despite how Queen Daphne was ordering her to stop. Following his first instinct, the water gem bearer swung the shield before the princess could come near her. The young koi was hit square in the face as she was sent flying across the room.

Jin was confused because she didn't hear Lilith's body hit wall. Glancing around and finally spotting her, his eyes widened at the sight.

Lilith had a spear through her abdomen, blood trickling down both sides of her mouth. She had landed on one of the statue decorations after Jin pushed her away.

"No," Queen Daphne whimpered as Lilith slid off the now bloody spear and fell, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Jin just stared. "No, no!"

Initially, Jin felt guilty at the sight if Queen Daphne crying over Lilith's figure. But, he realized that it could no longer be changed. He still bad for what he had done, he felt really bad actually since he just killed someone, but there was nothing he could do but apologize. And that fact alone pained him. "I'm... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Jin?"

Hearing Emily's voice, Jin's eyes widened as he turned around, seeing his girlfriend standing just a few feet behind him with a stunned expression. He swam towards her immediately, grabbing both of the fighting fish's shoulders and glancing at closing slab of rock. "Em, what are you doing here?"

"Did you really think that I was going to let you fight alone? Over my dead body. And you were trying too hard to not get noticed when you entered the secret room," Emily chuckled, her eyes moving to the sight behind Jin, her expression shifting almost instantly. "Jin... what happened to—"

"You killed her," Queen Daphne whisper-screamed and only now did Jin realize that Lilith's body was now limp. He immediately made a protective stance in front of Emily after dread started to pool in his stomach. The queen's tone said it all. She was angry. "Lilith... was the only living trace of my husband that I have left and you took her away from me. You killed her. You killed my only daughter!"

Jin gulped loudly as Queen Daphne turned towards the two briskly, eyes bright purple and fangs now evident. All traces of her calm and beautiful image were gone. Emily flinched at the sight. Still, he sympathized with the queen. He knew the pain of death. "Queen Daphne, I can only imagine the pain you are going through right now. Please, it wasn't my intention to—"

"Don't you dare call me a queen! Don't even speak! She's already dead!," Queen Daphne screeched with a tear-stained face and Jin squinted his eyes when scales started to appear below her eyes and on her arms, purple mist appearing below her tail. "With the power of Hel, you and your girlfriend shall meet your end!"

"Em, get behind me," Jin whispered as the mist completely surrounded Queen Daphne, who screamed in a fit of both grief and rage. They both watched with hitched breaths as the koi's silhouette grew in size and somehow, the water gem knew what was coming.

And when the mist faded, it revealed a light blue dragon, talons and fangs long, its eyes purple and filled with pain, wings wide and vast that it reached the ceiling. It roared loudly, its booming voice making the whole room shake.

Jin glanced at Emily, knowing that there was no escaping a battle against this dragon, and raised your shield. "You ready, Em? There's no turning back."

"What are you talking about?," Emily said with a smirk as the dragon roared once more, both fists up and ready for a fight. "I was born ready."

-

A/N - unedited anyways Happy birthday to me I'm officially 18 years old!!! Winning TFA is the perfect gift for me so thank you guys so much for it again ;; i'm so sorry for the late upload i blame amas and bts ;;

Anyways this message is gon be short cos my bday lmao i'm gonna celebrate!! I wheezed out 7k words for y'all I hope it doesn't suck ;;

See y'all in the next chapter, where Jin's arc officially comes to a close!!! Love y'all!

PS BTS on the amas thanks for the bday gift bangtan 💜