A/N - hi guys this is the real update lol enjoy!!!

"Guys, Yoongi is going to be fine," Hoseok spoke up while leaning on the wall, watching Jimin frantically walk back and forth across the deck, both hands in his orange hair. Namjoon looked equally as worried but stood still whilst Jungkook leaned on the railings and whistled a tune.

"He is not going to be fine, Hoseok!," Jimin screeched, making Hoseok raise an eyebrow at him. The air gem bearer watched in amusement as the former celebrity started to panic, sweat dripping down his forehead and shoulders shaking. It was nice to see that he was concerned for his friend. "You don't understand. Yoongi is fragile and needs to be handled with care. He can literally break with a touch and he's out there all alone with nobody to help or guide him! What if he dies?!"

"You guys are so noisy," Taehyung commented from his position in front of the captain's wheel with a scowl. Hoseok laughed to himself, knowing that the darkness gem bearer was still enjoying the chaos.

"Jimin?," Namjoon called out with furrowed brows, making Hoseok and the others face him. Jimin's eyes lit up at his friend's expression, thinking that the earth gem bearer was siding with him but disappointment flashed in his features when he said something else instead. "I think you're overreacting."

"No, I'm not!," Jimin responded almost instantly, his voice high-pitched and making Hoseok flinch a bit at the squeak. He watched the thunder gem bearer sit on the floor, both hands rubbing his temples. "Namjoon, Yoongi has french fries as legs. You can literally snap them in half. What's he going to do without us?"

"Not everyone is as thick as you, Jimin," Jungkook commented, his back fully lying down on the railings of the deck. He was blowing a feather with his breath, looking even more bored than ever.

"Thank you for pointing that out Jungkookie but still—"

"Jimin, you should trust Yoongi," Hoseok spoke after noticing that Jin, who was standing at the side, was watching the scene with a mixture of worry and infuriation. Pushing up his glasses, he sighed as he stepped towards Jimin, who was looking up at him with glassy eyes, and kneeled down to his level. "I know that you're worried about your friend..."

Hoseok paused and glanced at his side, spotting you and Emily leaning on the railings of the deck across Jungkook. He watched your figure, seeing your gloomy eyes staring at the ground, sadness evident on your features as you chewed on your lower lip. The air gem bearer knew that despite breaking with Yoongi, you were still worried sick about him. After all, the two of you still spent a good amount of time together. He knew how it felt, especially because he once had an argument with Jia that caused her to leave for a few days.

Jia. Hoseok wasn't sure if it was the right time to think about his girlfriend but he missed her greatly. A few days ago, he realized that Vrede's flow of time meant that she had to wait longer for him to return, which made his heart ache. A part of him hoped that this adventure would end quickly but at the same time, he didn't want it to. He shook his head, pushing away these conflicting thoughts.

"Everyone is worried about Yoongi," Hoseok continued with a serious expression, Jimin just staring back with big eyes. He could already tell that Namjoon was withering at the cuteness. "But you should trust him enough to know that he can take care of himself. He's the fire gem bearer for a reason. Min Yoongi is a fighter who burns hot like a flame that won't be extinguished. Maybe he found some people to help him, you know, like how how Kaeva did with you. I'm sure, no, I know that we'll find him in one piece."

"You're right," Jimin said after a moment of silence, cheeks tinted red at the mention of Kaeva, Hoseok noticing that Jin was smiling at him gratefully. "Thank you, Hoseok."

Hoseok nodded, hoping that he could trust his intuition. Turning away from Jimin, he walked towards a smiling Jin, who tilted his head slightly and gave him a nod of approval. The water gem bearer has always been the most polite no matter the situation. "Thank you for standing up for Yoongi, even though he isn't here."

"Hey, there's no need to thank me. We're a team, aren't we? We have to stand up for each other," Hoseok leaned on the railings next to Jin and let the cold air sweep his hair backwards. There was a silence between the two as he realized that he and Jin had a lot in common. Both of them came from good families and struggled with being stuck in a planned out future in the past, not to mention they both had loving girlfriends. He smiled at this. "Besides, Yoongi is our friend."

"Yeah," Jin said softly, eyes solemn and blonde bangs fluttering in the wind. "He's our friend."

"Do you guys really want to see what Yoongi is up to?"

Hoseok blinked as he registered the voice's owner, the soft atmosphere shattering at that instant. He turned towards Taehyung, who was leaning on the captain's wheel with pursed lips, boredom flashing in his dark eyes.

"I can do something about that," Taehyung continued, earning a raised brow from Hoseok and a frown from Emily. It seemed that everyone was wondering why he hadn't mentioned this helpful fact earlier. He typed away and walked down the stairs once Greta was in autopilot, staff in hand. "Everyone stand back."

Taehyung's words immediately made everyone shuffle to the side, leaving space in the middle of the deck. Hoseok watched quietly as the darkness gem bearer held his staff upright, the snake head facing everyone else. The Helian took deep breaths, which thickened the tension in the air. Silence was broken when he suddenly bit into his palm, making himself bleed, the rest of the team gasping loudly at the sight.

"Tae, what are you doing?!," Jungkook's calm premise broke instantly, his voice filled with worry as his wings flapped. Hoseok's eyes were wide, a bit stunned at what had just happened.

"This spell can only be done with the blood of its caster," Taehyung hissed a bit at his stinging palm and let the blood drip on his staff. The snake head's eyes glowed a powerful purple. "I'll be fine."

"Taehyung, I know that we all want to know how Yoongi is doing but isn't there a way to find him without using—"

"I said I'll be fine," Taehyung stated with gritted teeth, making you flinch and look away in shame. He stared at you for a while and only turned away when Emily glared at him. Hoseok watched in silence and took in the situation. He could already sense fights from a lot of opposing parties. "I'm sick of seeing y'all being worried about him. Besides, I've already done this before."

Hoseok glanced at Jungkook, who was obviously worried sick but wasn't saying anything. The angel just sighed and stepped backwards, wings folding sadly behind him. The air gem bearer felt bad for him, knowing that he deeply cared about Taehyung yet he couldn't even express it without being silenced or shut down. Shaking his head, he shook the thoughts away.

Taehyung inhaled deeply as the wind around them started to pick up, which confused Hoseok since he wasn't doing anything at all. The snake head of the darkness gem bearer's staff started glowing even more. "I offer the blood of thee, who wishes to summon the forbidden eye."

The whole boat started to shake violently as the wind blew stronger, you and Emily both yelping in shock. Hoseok, along with the rest of the boys, grabbed onto the railings to keep themselves out of the water. He could just imagine how panicked Yoongi would have been if he was there with everyone.

"In order to see beyond what lies," Taehyung opened his eyes, his pupils now purple with irises thin and black, matching the snake's reptilian orbs. Hoseok flinched at the sight. "Show me the key to the hidden prize."

A purple beam shot out of the snake head's mouth and pierced through the air, creating a circular shape that resembled a portal. Instead, however, it served as a blank mirror that glowed with a dark purple shade. Hoseok glanced at Taehyung, who was leaning on his staff for support and staring down at the ground, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Taehyung?," Jimin carefully stepped closer to Taehyung, who was inhaling deeply with unusual breathing patterns, despite the warnings Jungkook was throwing at him. "Hey, are you alright?"

Taehyung was just silent, which made Hoseok's heart thump loudly against his chest since his intuition told him that this was bad, that casting the spell had a consequence. Jimin looked hesitant now but the still stepped forward, pausing after a few seconds.

Confused, Hoseok followed Jimin's gaze, eyes widening and absolute despair filling his system at the sight. Taehyung's eyes were pitch black, so dark that it resonated with evil. He didn't say anything and only continued to stare at the now trembling thunder gem bearer with his piercing glare.

And that alone was terrifying.

"Tae?," Jungkook squeaked a bit and somehow, the angel's voice snapped Taehyung out of his trance and made him blink, eyes no longer as dark as they were a few moments ago.

"I'm fine," Taehyung replied. Hoseok knew full well that he wasn't. Something was obviously happening and nobody knew what it was but surely, it was affecting the darkness gem bearer in some way. And it wasn't good, especially sine his purple gem turned black for a moment. "Show me Min Yoongi."

With Taehyung's words, the image on the holographic projection changed and started showing a truck loaded with random items, Yoongi standing in front of it with a knife to his throat. Of course, this made everyone alert.

"We have to find Yoongi now!"

So much for Hoseok trusting his intuition.

-

"Who are you? And why were you in my truck?"

Yoongi tried to glance at this woman through the corner of his eyes but the angle he was facing forbid it. He could feel the cold blade pressed against his neck, which made his anxiety level skyrocket. He shifted his eyes ahead and stared at the tall trees before him. The wind whistled, as if nature was singing death's song. His blood ran cold, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Listen—"

"You were hiding amongst my loot and only revealed yourself when I arrived home. Do you know how heavy the truck became because of you?," The woman hissed and Yoongi noticed that her voice was soft. Based on the way she angled the knife, he could tell that this girl was shorter than him.

Yoongi was starting to get irritated because of how this woman wasn't giving him a chance to explain himself. So, unintentionally, his next words came with a sharp tone. "Lady, you'd know why if you just listen to what I have to sa—"

The woman growled at Yoongi and flipped him around before slamming his body to the side of the truck. Groaning loudly, the fire gem bearer opened his eyes and finally became face to face with the Vlamian. With long curly brown hair that fell almost to the level of her waist, the woman had pale skin and piercing slanted orange eyes. She had small lips that resembled an almond, one that went well with her round face. "I noticed your brown eyes and assumed you were Aardeian then I saw your grey hair. You obviously aren't Helian... or are you? Tell me, which city do you really belong to?"

"I'm not a citizen of Aarde or Hel," Yoongi leaned forward, which was a grave mistake on his part because the blade almost cut the skin of his neck. He then thought about it, if he really belonged to a certain place or not, if he had found a place of comfort, a place he could call him. Although... he was sure of one thing: he missed his friends. "I don't belong anywhere, actually but I swear, I didn't come to harm anyone."

"Stop with the shenanigans and go straight to the point!," The woman growled before stepping backwards and raising her knife. Yoongi eyed it like a hawk, his instincts running in his mind. "I get it now. You're a thief, aren't you? Hoping to cash out some of my goods, eh? Too bad. There's nothing to steal here. You're just begging to be killed."

The moment the woman swung her knife, Yoongi slid his back down the truck's body, the blade cutting some strands of his grey hair. He caught something shine in the Vlamian's pocket before pouncing towards her.

Both bodies collided as they rolled on the floor continuously, the struggle only ceasing after the woman kicked Yoongi in the gut. The Vlamian, who was sitting on his stomach with both legs spread next to each side of his waist, raised her knife once more but paused when she heard a click.

Yoongi smirked as the woman checked her pockets, eyes widening when she realized that the fire gem bearer had taken her gun during the struggle. During this moment of distraction, he switched their positions and pointed the gun at her face. "Checkmate."

Before Yoongi could pull the trigger, he felt a gust of wind and heard something break through the air. He turned to his side, just in time to see a chopped log heading towards him. The fire gem bearer grabbed the block of wood before it could hit him square in the face, the log erupting into flames as his eyes glowed bright orange.

Yoongi looked down after hearing a gasp, the log turning into cinders. The woman was staring at him with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape. She was about to speak when he was struck by yet another log, which he wasn't able to dodge this time.

"N-No! Don't touch me! I want my real daddy!"

"You unappreciative bastard! I'm your father now!"

With a spinning head, Yoongi groaned as he watched the topless man with thick lips he saw chopping wood stepping towards him with an axe in hand. He raised a hand, flames sparking against his palm, until the woman jumped in front of him and screamed with raised arms. "Wonho, wait!"

The topless guy, Wonho, paused at the woman's words and raised an eyebrow. He spun the axe in his hand effortlessly while Yoongi stared at the woman in confusion, still failing to light flames over his palm, and wondered . "What's with the sudden change of thought, Suran? Just a while ago, you were intent on killing him and now you aren't? How are you sure that he isn't a Helian in disguise? Or someone who found about our secret and is going to rat us out to the ruler?"

"He is innocent and I can prove it," Suran snapped before facing Yoongi, who was wondering if it was necessary for Wonho to be topless and showing off his sweaty washboard abs. "Hey, do that again."

It took a while for Yoongi to realize that Suran was talking to him. He faced the Vlamian woman with a frown, his lips unconsciously forming a pout as he scratched his scalp. "Do what again?"

Suran huffed before grabbing the log on the ground and shoving it at Yoongi's chest. "The log. Burn it."

Yoongi squinted his eyes at Suran, trying to read her thoughts through her orange orbs. Of course, he failed and ended up glancing at Wonho, who looked ready to decapitate him at any moment. Knowing that not doing what they want him to do with definitely lead to certain death, he sighed and grabbed the log, which burned to ashes the moment he touched it.

Suran gasped once again but Wonho did not look impressed at all. Yoongi rubbed his head, which was still throbbing due to the hangover. "What's your point?"

"Don't you remember the legend of the seven wonders? I think...," Suran trailed off and glanced at Yoongi, who was sitting on the ground and was leaning his back on the truck's body. She stared at him for a moment of silence, eyes filled with curiosity and wonder as he stared back a bit questionably. "I think... he's Vlam's rightful king."

There was another silence and by the look Wonho had on his face, Yoongi knew that he still didn't buy it. So the fire gem bearer sighed loudly before getting up and patting the dirt off his pants, making the Vlamian alert and point his axe towards him. The grey haired man whistled before raising both of his hands in the air. "Whoa, there, let's not get too violent, hm? I may not look like much but little lady here is right. I didn't come here to harm y'all. I was in the truck because I was hiding from the Helians, sorry about that. I only have one goal here and it's to reclaim Vlam and free it from Hel. Trust me, I'm being honest."

Trust me. Yoongi flinched at those words, which sounded so simple yet had such an impact on him. Throughout his life, he had learned that trust was something he shouldn't give away easily, that it'd eventually blow up in his face when he does. And it did.

However, there was Jin. Eighty percent. That's how much Yoongi trusted the water gem bearer but he wasn't sure if he should. He was afraid of trusting someone fully again. Shaking off the thoughts, he didn't think it was the right time to be thinking about this kind of stuff.

Suran glanced at Wonho with arched eyebrows, as if expecting him to say something. Yoongi stared at him, hoping that he wouldn't decide to chop his head off. The Vlamian caught the two looking at him expectantly and ended up sighing loudly. "Fine. Just get in before any Helians see you and possibly kill us all."

With that, Yoongi tailed behind the two as they lead him to their small cottage, the grass crunching under the soles of their shoes. The closer they got, the fire gem bearer noticed how worn-out the cottage was, almost as if the whole building would break apart with a single touch. He gulped as Wonho pushed the door open, a loud creaking sound echoing throughout the open field. He hoped that nobody was lurking around to hear that.

Yoongi flinched when he heard a sudden click and calmed down when he realized that Suran had flicked on a lightbulb from above. He scanned the area with squinted eyes, using his hand to swat away the dust in the air. Scattered around the area were multiple tables of sewing machines, which all looked like they could use some polishing. Layers of folded cloth were stacked at the back of the room, along with rows of shelves that all held boxes of needles and rolls of string. The walls were painted with dark paint, making the room look smaller. At the center was a counter, which looked a little too dusty for his taste. Wonho slammed the door behind him, the hinges giving up and breaking.

"We really need to fix that door," Suran commented as the door fell next to Yoongi's feet, Wonho sighing as he picked it up. The fire gem bearer scrunched his nose at the pulsing muscles the other had and unconsciously squeezed his thin arms. "Please ignore the flickering lightbulb. Minhyuk promised to change it but he hasn't, that brat."

"You make clothes for a living?," Yoongi whispered under his breath as he brushed his fingers against an unfinished grey sweater. Seeing it reminded him of you and the soft giggles you would release whenever he'd tickle you, along with the flower scent your jacket would always have. He looked away.

"Don't touch that," Suran hissed, instantly making Yoongi retract his hand and hide it in his pocket. She snapped the tie on her wrist. "And we don't make clothes for a living. We make uniforms for the Vlamian army."

"I don't see any uniforms around here," Yoongi mumbled, his words so low that Suran didn't hear him. Wonho, however, heard him loud and clear and stomped towards him.

Hearing the loud footsteps, Yoongi looked away from the clothes lying on the table and became face to face with Wonho, who was glaring at him with orange orbs, arms crossed over his bare chest. He felt like he was facing a beast. "You really are asking for a hit, aren't you?"

"I just made a sarcastic comment," Yoongi replied with a blank face, looking up at Wonho's snarling face. He frowned at the smell of sweat that was seeping from the Vlamian.

"Well, I don't appreciate your commentary—"

"God, Wonho!," Suran thankfully interfered with the quarrel and stepped in front of Yoongi, who didn't seem to care if he was going to get punched or not. Somehow, he had lost the feeling of self-defense he had just a few moments ago. "Can you please stop picking on— uhm—"

"Yoongi," Yoongi spoke after receiving a glare from Suran, which he only understood after a few minutes. Awkward.

"Stop picking on Yoongi!," Suran screamed as if Yoongi didn't just inform her of his name. The fire gem bearer calmly leaned on the wall with a whistle while massaging his knuckles, making Wonho glare at him once more. "Wonho, listen. I know that you're doubting him because all the people we take in turn out to be Helians after our heads but I swear, this time it's alright. Please, trust me."

Wonho shifted his orange eyes from a very determined Suran to an extremely bored Yoongi. The Vlamian sighed loudly before stepping away and grabbing a shirt from one of the tables. Seeing how he was finally covering his toned muscles, the fire gem bearer sighed in relief. "...If you even try to hurt any of us, I won't hesitate to break your spine in half."

It took a while for Yoongi to realize that Wonho was talking to him so he just nodded. He followed Suran to the wooden counter and scanned the desk, identifying the items on it. He could see little trinkets and souvenirs that varied with each kingdom. Picking up the tallest of the seven, he stared at the tiny version of Bliksem's Tower of Life and had flashbacks of Kaeva and Jimin. Next to it was a snow globe designed with Tranen's underwater castle, this time making him remember your fight with him.

Yoongi only snapped out of his daze when he heard footsteps from behind him. Turning around, he saw Wonho glaring at him and Suran giving him a small yet cautious smile. "It's Kihyun's dream to travel the world, which explains those trinkets. Well, before Hel banned traveling to the other kingdoms... Anyways, hold on tight."

Suran flipped the cushion of the wooden seat and pressed a button hidden in it, the floor beneath Yoongi's feet suddenly shaking and almost making him lose his balance. Looking down, he noticed that there was a square shaped line of metal and the floor that surrounded the desk. The floor lowered, slightly making the fire gem bearer panic because of how small the space was. He was greeted by smooth soil walls and frowned at the pebbles and worms he could see.

Yoongi looked up as the three of them were slowly lowered, seeing the square of light getting farther away with each passing second. The soil walls slowly became cemented and the scent shifted to that of metal and concrete. He looked around, seeing both Suran and Wonho facing the other side.

Noticing this, Yoongi instantly turned around just as their makeshift elevator came to a stop. He squinted his eyes at the automatic metal doors before they opened, cold air hitting his face and making him shiver. After the bright light blinded him for a while, his vision cleared, eyes widening at the sight before him.

The area seemed to be thrice the times larger than the room above them, the walls stretching out of Yoongi's view. Shiny tables were set in an orderly manner, each with a different machine and a different person. He could see how each person's section was labeled by color, like how the tall man wearing goggles and using a flamethrower on a piece of cloth was surrounded by gray wallpaper while the other dark haired man typing away on a computer was surrounded by red.

"Who is this?," Yoongi nearly jumped when someone breathed next to his ear. Whipping his head around, the fire gem bearer became face to face with a man wearing round-rimmed glasses, which reminded him of Hoseok. The Vlamian's orange eyes pierced into him, his brown hair swept to the side and revealing his forehead. He was fairly tall and muscular, lips small yet thick, eyes almost disappearing into lines. After a few moments of silence, he smiled. "Suran, are you hiring someone again? You know that the eight of us are more than enough, right? Anyways, go to Jooheon. He might need an assistant."

"Don't scare him off, Shownu," Yoongi turned towards the voice before Suran could reply with a thanks and saw an even taller man sitting on a chair, surrounded by white. He had black hair that was styled to spike upwards, lips the thickest out of all the people in the room so far. A metal face mask was strapped to his head, pushed upwards to uncover his face. There were a few wires and knick knacks on his table, along with some tools. The fire gem bearer watched the Vlamian as he opened his mouth, then paused to pick up his drink. He took a few noisy minutes sipping from the straw before finally speaking. "Don't you remember what happened to the last person brought in by Sweet Cheeks?"

"I told you not to call me that, Hyungwon," Suran snapped at Hyungwon, who just laughed as he kicked his desk and skid across his station on his chair, still noisily sipping on that drink of his. "Jooheon, where are you?!"

"Here!," A deep voice called, making Yoongi look around until he found Jooheon's hand waving with a wrench from behind his table, a pair of metal boots resting on top of it. He peeked, giving the fire gem bearer a view of one of his small eyes. "Another one? Suran, I don't need an assistant."

"Not the point. Haven't you always wished to meet the rightful king of Vlam? Well, he's right here," Suran shrugged while pointing at Yoongi, the whole room turning silent at her words.

Yoongi swallowed dryly once every single of pair of eyes in the room shifted towards him. He could feel all of them, except Suran who was confused, staring at him with judging orange orbs. Balling his fists, he didn't let himself falter under their gazes. The tension in the air thickened, as if screaming that there was no trust in the room.

"Suran, listen," The guy with the goggles spoke up and only know did Yoongi notice that each of them had a name tag, his being Minhyuk. "I know that you're in love with the legend of the seven wonders but please stop doing this. You've been bringing random people in for the past month, claiming that they're the hero of Vlam. What makes this stranger any different?"

Yoongi was about to mention his name then he realized that it really wasn't the right time to speak. Although he wanted to help Suran, who seemed to be lost in panic and shock, he wasn't sure if there was anything he could do to help. He was going to mess up anyway. "Guys please! This time it's real! Yoongi can control flames! Wonho, tell them! You saw it yourself, didn't you?!"

Wonho sighed loudly and Yoongi didn't turn around to know what kind of expression the Vlamian had on. The whole situation made him feel small and he just wanted to crawl into a hole where nobody can see him. He hated this feeling. He hated it so much. "I understand that you really want a hero to enter your life and I know what I saw but how are you sure that Yoongi isn't a Helian whose expertise is fire magic? We can't just trust anyone. What if he's out here to kill us? I shouldn't have let you bring him in. He's a danger to us all."

"Listen," Yoongi finally snapped after being silent for so long, failing to keep a persuasive tone. Again, everyone faced him along with Suran who looked like she was pleading for help through her eyes but this time, their glares didn't bother him. He was determined to prove himself. "It's fair that you guys don't trust me since I'm a complete stranger to you all but—"

"Be quiet," Jooheon hissed as he stood up and finally revealed his face, his tome of voice adding more fuel to Yoongi's rage. "You don't get an opinion."

"You guys are being too hard on him," One of the men, who was named Kihyun according to his name tag, spoke up quietly from his desk of colorful cloth. Yoongi figured that he was in charge of patterns before sighing in relief. At least one of the boys was on his side. Maybe. "There's a possibility of Yoongi being a good guy."

"And there's a possibility of him being a bad guy too," Minhyuk said as he stood next to Jooheon, his truthful words irritating and hurting Yoongi at the same time. He stepped towards Suran, who did a defensive stance in front of the fire gem bearer. "We're kicking him out."

"No, we're not kicking him out," Kihyun moved away from his station and stood next to Suran before grabbing her hand. "Sorry Minhyuk but I'm siding with my sis. Haven't you thought of the wonders being real? Maybe heroes exist. Let's give him a chance."

"Do you not remember what happened to Changkyun?!," Jooheon's voice boomed, silencing everyone. With the way everyone reacted, Yoongi could tell that he was above everyone in some way or maybe they weren't used to him raising his voice at them. "I will not tolerate a repeat of that. We are not losing someone again."

"There he goes," Hyungwon whispered from his seat, the straw still in between his thick lips.

"Jooheon," Shownu finally stepped into the conversation, eyebrows furrowed yet his face was void of any emotion. Yoongi took back what he said about Jooheon because he immediately faltered under his gaze. Now the fire gem bearer knew who the real leader of the group was. "You're being too harsh. At least let Yoongi explain himself. He's a person too and has a right to make an opinion."

Obviously, Jooheon was stunned for a moment but after a while, he put on an angry expression and stomped towards Shownu, their noses almost touching. Yoongi was still standing behind Kihyun and Suran and he could tell that the siblings were intent on protecting him. And that made him smile. "Listen, Shownu. I don't care whether Yoongi is a bad guy or not but we are not risking the possibility of losing another one of us. Changkyun is gone because of our ignorance and now we have to be alert. In fact, take a look at this man you call Vlam's king. Look at him! He looks like nothing more than a runaway brat."

Yoongi froze as he slowly registered Jooheon's words, his mind shutting down. Everyone around was arguing but their voices only sounded like mumbles to him. His vision darkened as he slowly walked backwards, the figures of the Vlamians turning blurry in his sight. Again, he was being judged. Again, he was being downgraded to someone who couldn't become more. His hands slowly balled into fists as his teeth gritted, his whole body trembling as a memory flashed through his mind.

Seventeen year old Yoongi sat on the wooden chair whilst swinging his legs back and forth. He huffed silently inside the principal's office, his cheek still stinging despite the thick bandage that was on it. There was only silence in the room, not even his mother, who was sitting next to him, was saying a word.

"Yoongi," The principal finally broke the silence, Yoongi looking up at him with bored eyes. He could feel his mother's glare boring into his skull but he chose to ignore it. "This is your third time in the office this month and it could possibly lead to suspension. You've been getting into fights a lot more often and it's bringing up my concern. My aim is for this campus to be one of peace so all the students can enjoy studying. So tell me, what did Jae do to convince you to swing fists at him?"

Yoongi didn't reply for a moment and instead side-eyed his mother, who was smiling at him as she waited for him to answer. He scoffed internally, knowing that the smile she had on was faker than plastic. It irritated him to the core. He could never tell people about how she treated him because how she acted so kind and innocent.

Looking back at the principal, Yoongi sighed loudly before leaning on his seat and recalling what had happened. He looked down at his bruised hand. "Jae is an arrogant senior. He was picking on this nerd... I think his name was Wonpil? Anyways, I tried talking him into leaving the kid alone but he wouldn't listen. Someone had to make a stand against him."

Silence. Yoongi was confident that he wasn't going to get that suspension because he was sure that he had done the right thing and the principal was a person of value. However, his mother spoke first before anyone else. "Excuse me principal but I may I have some time to speak with my son alone?"

Yoongi's eyes widened since he knew what was coming so he faced the principal and desperately shook his head at him, hoping that would understand what he was trying to say. Unfortunately, the principal didn't get his message at all. "Yes, of course."

Not being able to protest, Yoongi was dragged out from the principal's office. Once the door slammed, his mother put on a snarling expression before tightly grabbing his arms. Her words came in a whisper-scream. "You fucking idiot. All you do is cause trouble! When will you ever let my mind rest from thinking about you screwing up?!"

"He was beating up a freshman! I couldn't just stand there and let that happen!," Yoongi spat and almost a nanosecond later, he was slapped across the face by his mother. He was already used to this kind of treatment so he didn't react. But it still hurt, both physically and emotionally.

"What am I supposed to fucking do with you?! Your father and I break our backs to send you to this damn school and all you do is mess around!," Yoongi flinched at his mother's voice, which grew louder with each word he said. She then grabbed a fistful of his hair and tugged at it, making him hiss in pain. "I can use your tuition for more important things! My own dresses have more worth than you! What are you going to do to redeem yourself to your mother, huh?!"

Yoongi knew that whatever reply he'd come up with would anger his mother anyway so there was no use being all nice. So, he put on a fierce expression and stared right into the woman's eyes as he spoke. "Mother? Father? Ever since dad left, I never considered you and that drunkard as my parents and I never will."

That was the last straw for his mother. She grabbed both of Yoongi's cheeks with her hands and snarled right at his face, pure hatred evident in his features. "So now you have absolutely no respect for the only people who actually willing to keep you alive?! Fine then. Have it your way. I'm pulling you out of school."

Yoongi's eyes widened the moment he registered her mother's words and he only spoke after he let go of her face. "You can't just pull me out of school! I'm graduating next year!"

"Do you think I give a shit about that?!," Yoongi's mother screamed just before she could walk back into the principal's office. He continued to stare at her, his hands balled into fists. "If you're going to keep messing up then there's no use sending you to school! I'll be able to save money, too. Besides, what can you do? You're worthless, can't do anything right. You're just a kid and I'm the adult. You are powerless."

With that, Yoongi's mother slammed the door as she disappeared into the principal's office. His hands continued to tremble as tears silently ran down his face. Looking down, he stared at his bracelet, the jewelry being the only reminder of how much of a happy family he had back then. The anger he had inside him was fueled even more.

Yoongi had decided what his life goal was at they very moment — he was going to prove his own worth, that he had the potential to be so much more, and he didn't care how long it was going to take.

When Yoongi came back to his senses, Suran and the boys were still arguing about whether they should accommodate him or not. The scene of loud voices was overwhelming him and his hands continued to tremble as his gem glowed brightly. "Shut up."

It seemed like nobody heard Yoongi, hence the argument continued. He couldn't hold back any longer, the anger fulling burning inside his chest. His teeth gritted so much that his jaw ached and the moment his eyes turned into a bright orange color, flames burst and lit up all over his body.

"I said shut up!"

Yoongi's scream finally caught everyone's attention. Suran, the first one who turned around, gasped at the sight of him engulfed in hot blue flames. She was about to say something out of worry but Kihyun grabbed her by waist and pulled her away. The rest stared with wide eyes, their expressions a mixture of shock and fear. The fire didn't notice this, he was too angry to.

"You hate me? Well get in line asshole cuz I hate me too. Right now, all I'm doing is trying to get my shit together and I won't let you tell me something I've heard so many times before!," Yoongi hissed loudly, his veins turning orange as the hot blood crawled up his face. "I'm here to get shit done and get it right so will you please do me the favour of letting me do just that?!"

There was only silence as Yoongi took deep breaths to calm himself down, the flames coating him crackling as he did. Once he finally did, the fire died down, leaving his body smoking literally. Staring down at his gem, he watched a purple flicker fade from it, confusion hitting him. What was that?

Yoongi heard light footsteps, making him look up. Before him was Minhyuk, who was staring at him in shame and had a black uniform draped over his folded arms. "Hey, uh, you nearly burned off all your clothes. This uniform was meant to be for Changkyun but I think you two have similar body shapes. The cloth is fireproof so..."

Minhyuk didn't speak another words so Yoongi squinted his eyes at one of the people who doubted him before taking the uniform. He looked down at himself and saw his charred clothes with multiple burn holes in them before inspecting the uniform. The first thing he saw was the brand of Vlam that was knitted over where his heart was located, the cloth had a texture similar to that of leather. "...Thank you."

"No, we thank you for coming, Vlam's king," Minhyuk suddenly fell to the ground on his knees before doing a formal bow, stunning Yoongi so much that he almost dropped his uniform. "I apologize for my actions and I'm sure my friends feel the same way. Please forgive us, Your Highness."

Yoongi's eyes nearly popped out of his head because he had no idea how to react to this situation. He stared at Minhyuk, not knowing what to think of someone bowing down to him. Jooheon did the same, followed by Shownu and Hyungwon, who had finally stood up.

"See?! I told you I was ri—," Suran was cut off by Kihyun, who hushed her and pulled her to the floor to bow with everyone else.

Yoongi scanned at all seven bowing figures and tries to process how they had finally believed his identity after bursting into blue flames. Shownu then spoke, breaking the silence. "We shall accept any punishment you desire."

"But I don't want to get punished," Hyungwon whined before Shownu glared at him, instantly make him shut his mouth.

"Punishment?," Yoongi asked, the others flinching at that one word. He recalled what kind of punishments his mother would give whenever it seemed fitting to her before shaking his head. "I'm not going to punish you guys."

"Really?," Kihyun squeaked, face still planted to the floor.

"Uh, yeah," Yoongi replied awkwardly while rubbing his nape, the others staring up at him with sparkling eyes. "You guys... don't need to bow at me like that. It's really weird."

All seven Vlamians hesitantly stood up while eyeing Yoongi, who stared at their faces of relief. Again, there was a silence and he could tell that they had no idea what to say in this kind of situation. Shownu and Minhyuk were avoiding eye contact with him while the rest glanced at each other in silence. The tension in the air was so thick that it nearly suffocated him.

"Yoongi," Suran finally spoke, making Yoongi face the girl. She was smiling brightly, her lit up face completely contrasting the fierce expression she had just a few moments ago. "You need help sneaking into the castle, right?"

Yoongi nodded slowly.

"We can help!," Suran glanced at the others over her shoulder and the boys instantly nodded while mumbling various responses that all meant yes. Smiling, the Vlamian woman gave the fire gem bearer a thumbs up. "You should get changed first. After you do, we'll show you the plan we made while we were still plotting to raid the castle."

Yoongi nodded. At least they were going to help him now. "Thank you, Suran."

"Don't sweat it," Suran shrugged before pushing him away from the group. "Now go. You should change before the clothes fall off your body."

Yoongi smiled a bit. "Yeah, I should."

-

A/N - unedited 7.2k word monster!! I hope you guys liked it ;; I warned y'all about the angst didn't I so yeah Yoongi is one of my most well-written characters so expect a lot from his arc oho

I also hinted something for Taehyung's arc! Did anyone notice I wonder hmmm

And surprise! Monsta X makes an appearance nyahahaha Minhyuk is a cutie tbh

Anyways! I asked y'all to submit questions through my wall and here they are, along with answers! I'll be answering ten questions first and the rest will be in the next chap! You guys can still send me questions and I'll be more than willing to answer!

Question #1: Is Taesky ever going to happen?
Answer: 🤔

Question #2: From where do you get all your inspiration and ideas?
Answer: Well my inspiration and ideas come randomly which is really weird. The plot of T7W came to after I stared a at a picture of the Egyptian pyramids for some reason. Also, I have a more creative than logical mind which I guess can explain why?

Question #3: Why have you decided to publish this book?
Answer: For fun and because I love BTS! I had zero intentions for this gain attention and I'm still surprised that a lot of people love T7W

Question #4: What is your favorite color?
Answer: Every shade of purple! (Fun fact: I hate green)

Question #5: What is your favorite chapter of T7W?
Answer: I have two fave chaps actually. First is Chapter 25: Seven Wonders because I finally got to write all seven members of BTS in one scene! It also sealed the first arc of finding the wonders so it was kinda like a milestone. Second is Chapter 43: Persuasion because I had a lot of fun writing three different interactions! I also love Kaeva lol

Question #6: What cheers you up when you have a so/so day?
Answer: My two dogs and two cats, plus the video of BTS playing Flinch! because I will never ever stop laughing at Hoseok falling on his ass

Question #7: Favorite Novel?
Answer: Rick Riordan's The Heroes of Olympus series! I finished all the books from The Lost Hero to The Blood of Olympus and I'm still in love with Piper and Annabeth

Question #8: Favorite movie?
Answer: okay only one movie fits this category and its Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children! I just love the unsettling horror and I LOVE OLIVE

Question #9: When you meet your idols, how would you react?
Answer: Well, I already saw BTS live twice but my answer won't change. I'd die on the spot, especially because of Taehyung's non-existent flaws. I swear that man is a God

Question #10: Can people who aren't the seven wonders control/use the power of the gem if they have it?
Answer: Any theories? 🌚

That's all the questions for now! See y'all in the next chapter and get ready for mooooooooore angst! :D